Exactly 30 years ago, the European Union Convention 108 about data privacy has been accepted. It is truly amazing that the ground works for data privacy legislation were laid such a long time ago, at a time when there were no mobile phones and almost no personal computers, and it still applies! Of course, the implementation now has be extended and improved and, even more importantly, synchronized at least across the EU countries.

But while attending the Data Protection Day today in Brussels, it surprised my that while there was lots of focus on legislation, on privacy by design and the issues related to enforcement, almost nobody mentioned user education. To me, this is still one of the biggest issues though. How many users do not realize how important it is to secure their private data! It starts with best practices on securing your Faceboook profile, protecting your PC or mobile phone with some security software and ends with (not) sharing your personal information with marketeers in your local supermarket for a chance to get 2% discount. So here I go, adding my bit to user education: please, read all privacy disclaimers before you accept them and check twice before you submit any personal information – who will own that data and what will they do with it?
May your data be safe!

And here is a link to some tips on keeping your data safe. 

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