Protecting Your Personal Information in the Digital Era

Statistics released in the first quarter of 2018 indicated that there were 668 million data breaches recorded in the US alone, with upwards of 22 million records exposed, according to figures released by Statista.com. This is not surprising given the number of users who are increasingly embracing the good, the bad and the ugly of being virtually connected 24/7.

Consider the fact that even our homes are now using smart technology, which means that many of our appliances are even connected to the web. For example, advancements in technology have made smart doorbells that allow you to remotely access and view who is visiting your home and receive notifications on the same. It is because of this that we must take more seriously the question of protecting our information in the digital era.

The Necessity of a Data Protection Framework

Compromised data can birth a host of problems in your personal life and even greater in your business ventures. We have had innumerable cases of identity thieves who were able to access the personal information of unsuspecting individuals and use that information for illegal purposes. A breach of data is doubly devastating for a business as it affects the data provided by trusting clients under an agreement of confidentiality.

Most states have strong laws that protect the information given by clients in the course of business transactions, which creates a legal obligation on the organization to guarantee its safety. To this end, many individuals and organizations have employed various measures to protect their data, from data encryption to using AI-driven anti-virus software and even working through virtual private networks (VPN), which hide your IP address and prevent anyone from tracking your online activity. However, there are still other ways of protecting your data that you may not be aware of.

From Software Authentication to Hardware Authentication

Usernames and passwords have been the watchdogs of limited access since the inception of the internet and computers in general. However, we are steadily moving away from this due to the ease with which weak passwords can be breached, and looking towards hardware authentication.

With hardware authentication, a user’s identification will be embedded in their hardware. Intel is providing the momentum in this direction with its sixth generation Core vPro processor that can simultaneously combine a number of hardware-enhanced factors to validate user identity.

Deep Learning Maybe the Future of Data Protection

The field of artificial intelligence has been growing in leaps and bounds over the past decade. You may be familiar with the humanoid-robot Sophia, a sophisticated example of where AI is and the first robot to be granted citizenship. Deep learning basically attempts to imitate as closely as possible the way the human brain works. Deep learning is set to revolutionize the field of cybersecurity as it may be the only technology capable of sifting through the large amounts of data that is generated and requires sifting. Deep learning innovations are being applied in security tools to make private data protection more effective.

The protection and security of private data is a matter of great importance given the increasing reliance we are placing on technology and more so on the internet. It is imperative that we look into strengthening our own data security measures in order to guard against breaches or theft.

Author – Ali Alvis