by Poorvi Ashok
Of the many things that have changed with the onset of this century, the most prominent would be the ease with which information can be obtained from across the globe. With just a click, we experience an interconnectedness that couldn’t even be fathomed before the fourth industrial revolution. This ease of procuring information has proven to be extremely beneficial across a myriad of fields but has also created its own set of difficulties and complications. It has created various avenues for false propaganda, misinformation and has also raised some very serious and concerning issues regarding data privacy, personal security, breach of privacy, and so on.
Cybersecurity can be defined as the protection of internet-connected systems such as hardware, software, and electronic data. As the concept of an interconnected global network and Internet of Things (IoT) has started to gain more prominence, the issue of cybersecurity is being discussed more often. The issues of cybersecurity till very recently weren’t taken seriously and were only associated with companies and organizations with weak security systems. The word cybersecurity only pointed towards phishing scams and reported cases of stolen identities due to poor online presence management and others. But with the rapid progression and advancement of digital technologies, big names have also reported cases of their most sensitive customer data falling into the hands of hackers or third parties without the consent of the customers. Information theft on 25 million customers from Uber, 143 customer files stolen from Equifax, major security flaws leaving customer’s data vulnerable in AT&T, T-Mobile and Sprint phones, third-party app developers having access to Gmail data are among the various massive data thefts that have occurred in the past few years.
The most prominent among all these has to be the infamous Facebook debacle, which involved the data leak of millions of Facebook users by Cambridge Analytica for political advertising purposes. This has been proclaimed to be the largest known data leak in Facebook’s history. The data stolen from Facebook by Cambridge Analytica has been used to create psychological profiles that were then reported to have been used to aid various political campaigns in the US. This leak was made public only due to the involvement of a whistleblower and therefore, raises many pressing issues concerning cybersecurity and data privacy. Coming back home, Singapore also recently faced a major data breach with the personal information of almost 1.5 million healthcare patients being leaked from the Ministry of Health (MoH). Following this leak, it was found that almost 75% of government agencies are not keeping up with the existing data security legislation in at least one area or more. These leaks have led to the infringement of various rights including infringement of the right to privacy and infringement of civil rights among others.
All of this leads to one very pressing question: How safe is our data online?
Our data isn’t actually as safe as we think it is online. As technology continues to be more and more ingrained in our lives, the digital risks we face are sure to increase. A recent survey by PwC has found that almost 90% of all organizations have suffered a security breach from 2015. The main reason for this is the fact that our society and our laws are unable to keep up with the rapid progress of technology. Only in the past few years have countries and organizations started to take cybersecurity seriously. Since 2016 there have been many laws such as General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) in the EU, Personal Data Protection Act (PDPA) in Singapore, California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) in California, etc. that have been introduced to safeguard citizens’ data online. In addition, various countries and organizations are also warranting the use of a data security officer and regular internal and external audits to check for any potential breaches or chances of breaches.
Currently, a lot is being done across the globe to address the issue of data privacy, but a lot more needs to be done to truly keep this issue in check. Governments and organizations need to be more proactive about this issue and regular maintenance and checks need to be performed. Laws need to be regularly amended as technology continues to change its scope of use. The Governments should allow and encourage whistleblowers to come forward and speak out. Organizations need to incorporate more clear communication regarding data collection and utilisation. Apart from this, we as individuals also need to be more aware of our online presence. We should always ensure to not overshare unnecessarily on online platforms and we should ensure safe disposal of personal information online. We should also be aware of what data is being collected online and the purpose of its usage. In addition to all of this, we need to spread awareness to ensure that cybersecurity is continually discussed and acted upon.
So the next time a website asks us for our information online, I hope we all think twice before sharing.
References:
https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2018/10/why-your-online-data-isnt-safe/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Facebook%E2%80%93Cambridge_Analytica_data_scandal
https://theonebrief.com/how-safe-is-your-data/
https://www.globalgovernmentforum.com/singapore-government-pledges-to-beef-up-data-security-after-breaches/
The Watercooler 