Privacy Laws Are Not The Same in Every Country

Privacy Laws Are Not The Same in Every Country: Privacy laws differ considerably from country to country. It is important to note that if an organization is doing business in multiple countries that its privacy plan address requirements to comply with the privacy laws of all of the countries in which it conducts business or have operations.

The management team in each country or those managers in the corporate headquarters responsible for business operations in each country need to address specific requirements.

In addition, an organization’s privacy plan, policies, and procedures must address varying privacy requirements by country. Also, If a company plans on expanding its operations or sales efforts into new countries it should evaluate privacy requirements and modify its privacy policies and procedures before it expands into a new country.

Assuring Privacy of Information is a Complicated Process

Every company needs an enterprise-wide privacy plan from which to formulate policies and procedures and produce that plan in written form so department managers and individuals responsible for managing information or data can refer to the document for guidance when making decisions. It is also recommended that organizations have a standing privacy task force or committee that systematically reviews the plan and updates it as new business efforts are launched or new technology is implemented.

It is also critical that managers inform their clients, customers, and business partners about the company privacy policies and procedures to assure that they understand their position and how very serious they take properly managing privacy. The process of building an enterprise-wide privacy management program is broken down into four major phases. Phase one is organizing and research; phase two is the actually conducting the privacy needs audit; phase three is when policies and plans are developed; and the final phase is implementation of policies and plans.

All Departments Should be involved in Managing Privacy

Yes, all departments should be involved in creating and implementing privacy plans, policies, and procedures but not all departments will have the same level of involvement. Each department needs to be involved to assure that as many possible weaknesses in managing privacy are identified and proper policies and procedures are created. In addition, each department should be involved because it can help create a greater awareness of the need for privacy procedures and help to promote enterprise-wide buy-in to the privacy plan.

All the Employees Should be trained on Privacy Procedures

Yes, all employees should be trained on privacy policies and procedures but not all employees will need the same level of training. It is important that all employees are aware of what is and is not sensitive information or data and why it may be considered sensitive. Those employees with greater public contact need to be very well trained so they understand how to deal with public inquiries and what type of information they can release and what is restricted. Employees who are involved in record keeping, information processing, or database management also need to have an exceptional understanding of the privacy issues and requirements of the information they work with on a day-to-day basis.

Organizations with Web Sites are More Vulnerable to Privacy Problems

There is not a cut and dry answer to this question. It really depends on how an organization uses its Web site. If it does not post sensitive material or collect, compile or process customer data on its Web server it is not more vulnerable for having a Web site. If the Web site is used to collect, compile, or process customer data then the company has an added point of vulnerability. The increased vulnerability in this situation arises from the potential of a hacker breaking into the Web site and stealing data such as names, address, account information, or credit card numbers.

In addition, if the Web site is integrated with back-end applications or connected to other systems in the enterprise there is a greater possibility that hackers and information thieves can access more sensitive information that other wise may be kept private. Therefore, organizations with Web sites should pay special attention to these types of vulnerabilities when conducting a privacy audit and developing privacy plans.

Organizations with Customer/Client Data are more Vulnerable

Organizations with customer/client data are more at risk. The reason for this is that customer/client data is not only confidential, it is the type of information that thieves and hackers seek out. This is especially true when financial records or credit card numbers are at risk. There is also the burden of added social pressure because of the sensitive nature of information that is considered personal.

Pressure to protect personal data will increase over the next several years as privacy legislation is passed in countries around the world. This means that organizations that collect or use personal data on customers or business partners will need to take extraordinary steps to assure privacy and of course to avoid potentially costly litigation or embarrassing public relations incidents.

Determining Who Should Be in Charge of Privacy

An important first step in any organization would be to establish a privacy task force or committee comprised of representatives from all departments in the enterprise. The privacy task force can determine if a full time staff person will be required to oversee the implementation of the privacy plan. Although it is becoming rather vogue to appoint a privacy director or czar, such a position may not be required in all organizations.

It Takes Considerable Time to Develop A Privacy Plan

The amount of time it takes to develop a privacy plan will obviously vary depending on the nature of an organization as well as the type of data and information that need to be protected. Generally speaking, the first draft of a good privacy plan with appropriate input from all departments should take from three to six months to develop. Once developed, it will take three to six months to implement a privacy plan.

Note, however, that managing privacy is an ongoing effort and after the plan is implemented outcomes must be measured and policies and procedures must be updated as business and legislative condition change. In other words the work on privacy management is an ongoing process and should not be considered finished once the privacy plan is implemented.

Technology Can Help Protect Privacy

There are several technologies that can help protect privacy but none that will assure that privacy efforts are being managed effectively. Technologies are useful in protecting data processing and storage facilities as well as data transmitted over networks and the Internet. Do not to be self-deceptive and think that technology is all that is needed to protect privacy. Technology helps, but privacy protection is a human effort that requires coordinated efforts across all departments in the enterprise.

Ensuring that All Employees Understand the Importance of Privacy

It is essential that all employees understand the importance of the organization’s privacy protection efforts. The human resources (HR) department can play an essential role in the process of training all employees. HR can establish briefings for new employees upon hire and set up and manage ongoing training for existing personnel. HR departments are also experienced in information campaigns and can help create instructional content for corporate newsletters, Intranets, or Web sites. Involve the HR department early in the privacy planning process.