According to a Pew Research Center study, 79% of U.S. adults report being concerned about the way their data is being used by companies.
By respecting your consumers’ privacy you’ll increase trust and enhance reputation and growth in your business.
How can you protect customer data:
- If you collect it, protect it. Data breaches lead to financial loss, reputational damage and diminishing customer trust. By following reasonable security measures you can keep individuals’ personal information safe from inappropriate and unauthorized access. Only collect personal data for relevant and legitimate purposes and make sure it’s processed in a fair manner.
- Consider adopting a privacy framework. Research and adopt a privacy framework in your business to help you manage risk and create a culture of privacy in your organisation. You may find the following frameworks useful:
- Conduct an assessment of your data collection practices. Which privacy laws and regulations apply to your business? Make sure you fully understand the requirements and educate your employees of their and your organisation’s obligations to protecting personal information.
- Transparency builds trust. Be open and honest about how you collect, use and share consumers’ personal information. Communicate clearly what privacy means to your organisation and how you achieve and maintain privacy. How would the consumer expect their data to be used? Create design settings to protect their information by default.
- Maintain oversight of partners and vendors. If someone provides services on your behalf, you are also responsible for how they collect and use your consumers’ personal information.
Find out more here.
