Personal data security in the age of Big Data

Entering the era of Big Data has brought companies enormous opportunities related to data analysis and processing, but at the same time it has created some privacy challenges that are not so easy to overcome. Highly complex regulations and the need to responsibly protect personal data in Big Data may stand in the way of using this technology to its full potential, but they should not – see how to balance business growth with customer privacy.

Big Data and Privacy – what does an entrepreneur need to know?

Big Data is huge data sets that come from various sources, such as social media, websites, transaction records, and even the availability of geolocation when browsing the web. From a business point of view, Big Data is a huge benefit: this seemingly irrelevant information should be combined and analyzed, creating user profiles, learning their behaviour, and effectively targeting. See how to use Big Data in retail industries.

But you need to be aware that all of this carries privacy risks: seemingly anonymous data can be re-assigned to specific individuals, Big Data analysis risks revealing sensitive information (such as health or political opinions), and many people navigating the web are not aware of it at all. How do they protect themselves from this, and even from the fact that their data is processed?

A responsible entrepreneur should protect his consumers by taking care of the security of personal data in Big Data. This is important both for brand image and compliance with the law. But how can you do it?

Fundamentals of data protection in the context of Big Data

The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) provides a legal framework for protecting personal data in the European Union. In the context of Big Data, you must meet many requirements, and above all, remember that:

1. Data processors must inform users about how they use their data as a matter of transparency.
2. The data collected should be limited to what is necessary to achieve the stated purposes and cannot be collected unjustifiably.
3. The processing of sensitive data requires the user’s explicit consent and cannot be carried out without the user’s knowledge.
4. You may not process data in a way inconsistent with its intended purpose.
5. It is your responsibility to keep your personal data safe.

Data security in the age of big data. Challenges, but also solutions

Laws are not perfect, and neither is their enforcement. Your responsibility begins at the level of privacy policy, consent to data processing, and information about cookies. There are many aspects that you need to take care of. Remember also to precisely define the roles of personal data administrators and processors or partners – if you do not know how to do this, be sure to contact a specialist in the field because poorly constructed website regulations or the lack of specific information on the website may result in penalties. Also, remember to encrypt your data – HTTPS protocols are the absolute basis.

Companies implementing modern solutions based on Big Data should invest in process transparency and customer education. This will build credibility and increase acceptance of large-scale data processing.

You can read more about Big Data and the Business Intelligence it is related to in our article, Business Intelligence Data Analysis for RETAIL.