Privacy and Data Protection Memorandum
Spencer Foulk
Old Dominion University
CYSE 406: Cyber Law
Professor Amanda L. Cheney
March 14, 2022
Memorandum
Pentagon
Mongo
Information October 27, 2023
To: Governor Karras
From: Spencer Foulk
Subject: Data Protection and Privacy Issues
Why are They Important?
Data protection and privacy issues are the same concept, yet they are used in diverse ways. For instance, data privacy is useful when deciding who has certain rights to certain pieces of data and information, while data protection revolves around putting those motions into effect by creating barriers with the end goal of data safety. Data protection and privacy is significantly important due to the confidential information that may or may not be at hand. As an example, if someone was to obtain your medical records through penetration hacking or any old place since this assumes no data protection, then they could use your information to get prescription drugs with your name or rather file claims with your insurance company. As for the reasons why constituents should care, the effects of the earlier dilemma could lead to incorrect filings on your card for prescriptions, fraud due to someone else using your information, and possible legal issues if you are framed. Data protection and privacy are important to support confidentiality for our patrons and community.
Privacy and Data Protection Terms
Three main definitions and examples exist to describe privacy and data protection. Biometric data is a fitting example since it holds information about an individual’s physical composition and other information related to human characteristics. Medical institutions and physicians usually keep such information. Biometric information can be significantly useful as a tool for identification since operating systems like apple and Microsoft use it for authentication services like Windows Hello and Face ID. Another tool or form of protection is PLL or personally identifiable information. This is best described as information that can instantly find someone when consulted. Examples of this include driver’s licenses, passports, credit cards, university cards, and more. I personally believe that this information should be protected at all costs and stands for the importance of data and privacy protection due to the mischievous outcomes that come from its loss. If lost, it can be used for fraud, purchases, and serve as a tool for password identification. GDPR or General Data Protection Regulation is a third example and is best known as a regulation institution that oversees your data as well as keeping your data in check. Other examples of such protection include PCI or the payment card industry which keeps cards and forms of payment for protection, and PHI better known as protected health information. It is like biometric data since both services protect your health-related information.
Information that we should enact.
In addition to a large amount of confidential information that our constituents and serving citizens have mentioned, we should also strive to include other sorts of protective information like consensual information and a better way or definition of what is allowed. Regarding the consensual information enactment plea, citizens, or anyone whose information is at jeopardy for that matter, should be able to consent on whether they want their information to be given away and acted on by a government or other third-party organization. This would account for the concern that has been shown by our fellow patrons and serve as a solution to the problems that our citizens have mentioned. In attention to my remark on a more concise or better definition of what information is protected, we should revise our laws on data protection and privacy in a way that is easily understood. Individuals that consult our department or laws should not have to question whether something is ok or unjust. I believe this to be beneficial, just, and achievable given our department and capabilities. Starting small and working with protection should be our number one concern before privacy since we need a solid foundation for the said privacy to be protected behind.
References
“All Data Types,” University of Michigan, Published (2023) –
McFarland, Michael, “Why We Care about privacy “, Santa Clara University, Published (Jun 1,
2012) – https://www.scu.edu/ethics/focus-areas/internet-ethics/resources/why-we-care-about-privacy/