It’s Data Protection Family Fortunes, Part 2!
How your average person on the street approaches data protection…
Whoever would have thought that Family Fortunes would enjoy such a resurgence?!
After our previous blog on what the average person on the street thinks about data protection, this one follows up with some everyday advice and approaches to good practice – although, seeing as we asked the same respondents as last time, we’re not sure whether that’s a good or bad thing.
Oh well, here goes…
Covering a large geographic area of, er, 200 square metres, we asked between 37 and 100 people what life hacks they used around data protection, and specifically: “What’s your best tip on keeping your data safe?”
Here’s what they said:
Advice for Individuals
“Don’t trust companies who’ve got form mistreating data!”
“Never use 1234 as your pin. 5678 is probably much safer.”
“Don’t use your mother’s maiden name/first pet as your password.”
“Use somebody else’s mother’s maiden name/first pet as your password.”
“Don’t use ‘password’ as your password.”
“Don’t leave your laptop on the train.”
“Don’t leave your laptop unattended when you pop to the loo in a coffee shop. And if you do, at least lock the screen.”
“Keep the camera on your laptop covered unless you’re using it.”
“Use safe screen mode on your phone/laptop when you’re in public.”
“Never believe it’s your bank or HMRC calling you!”
“Beware unsecure Wi-Fi in social settings like cafés, restaurants and airports.”
Advice for Companies
“Test your systems are safe and robust before you start storing people’s data!”
“Encourage your staff to respect your data protection policy as much as you do.”
“Make sure you’ve vetted your third-party data processors!”
“Review your systems and processes regularly. Please…”
“Sounds daft but check that you’re sending your email to the right John/Clare or whoever.”
“Don’t hit ‘Reply all’ by accident!”
“Don’t pretend to be a bank, solicitor or HMRC – unless you are.”
“If you’re forwarding an email or attachment, make sure you’re not sending anything you shouldn’t…”
“Don’t broadcast your conversation with a customer so that everyone around you can hear it!”
“Use ‘BCC’ if you need to email a group of people who don’t necessarily know each another.”
“Keep a shed-load of money to one side in case you need to pay a whopping data breach fine…”
“Ahem, get Databasix to help you because they’re fabulous! Was that okay? Just make sure you edit that one properly.”
Obvious? Maybe. Undeniable? Definitely!
Sometimes, though, the plainest of truths are the most useful and, as with many things, good old common sense is often your best ally.
And isn’t it interesting how all the advice above can be traced back to just being sensible, diligent and thorough in how you approach data protection? Yes, there’s lots of legislation and recommendations underpinning it but, essentially, it comes down to treating people’s personal data with the respect it deserves.
Still not convinced? Then think of data as a different form of valuable currency; one that, with all the identity and cyber fraud that’s around these days, you wouldn’t want to be too casual about… We bet that if it was your wallet or purse, you’d be sure to care of it!
Still looking for some expert guidance and advice?
The people have spoken.
So, if there are any pointers from above that you’d like to discuss, or any scenarios or issues you want to go through in more depth, we’re here and more than happy to help. And rest assured, you won’t get any loud, gameshow buzzers that sound like “UH-OH” coming from us!
Which reminds us. Before we sign off for this month, we’d like to thank all those who contributed to our straw poll. We couldn’t have done it without you.
And who knows – under different circumstances, some lucky person might have won a speedboat or holiday for two.
Until next time...
