As we look ahead to 2024, the data privacy landscape is rapidly evolving. New trends are emerging that will redefine how we protect sensitive information. In 2023, we saw significant progress in data privacy, setting the stage for more responsible practices moving forward.
https://pixabay.com/illustrations/security-castle-secure-internet-1202344/
Keys Data Privacy Trends 2024
1 Increased Focus On Children’s Privacy
Many GDPR fines faced by Meta, TikTok, and X (formerly Twitter) have resulted from mishandling children’s data. Similarly, Microsoft was fined $20 million for illegally collecting children’s data.
Efforts to protect children’s privacy are gaining momentum. In April 2023, a bipartisan group of federal lawmakers introduced the Protecting Kids on Social Media Act, which aims to tighten regulations for social media users under 18. Although not yet approved, this draft highlights growing concerns about safeguarding children’s data.
The European Parliament (EP) is also increasing its focus on online age verification for children. The EP acknowledges that current age verification methods are easily bypassed, posing significant privacy and security risks. Moving forward, the EP plans to enhance age verification through certification and interoperability, potentially by implementing an electronic ID across the EU.
2 AI and Machine Learning
In early 2023, AI’s growing popularity sparked global concerns over data privacy and regulatory gaps. In March, Italy became the first country to temporarily ban ChatGPT due to privacy issues, primarily because OpenAI, ChatGPT’s developer, was allegedly using personal data without consent. Additionally, there were concerns about children’s privacy and inadequate age verification.
In response, OpenAI introduced a form for European users to opt out of data processing and developed tools to verify users’ ages, ensuring children under 13 couldn’t access the platform. Despite these measures, the European Data Protection Board established a ChatGPT task force to address ongoing privacy concerns.
Along with the integration of AI, we are increasingly talking about the ethical use of data. Along with this, AI serves various purposes, including restrictions. For example, the technology is used to segment Instagram. Although there is a way to change your region using Instagram location settings, it is not that easy. By the way, VeePN has detailed instructions (link earlier). Plus, you will need VPN apps to bypass IP location detection.
3 State Laws and Data Localization
States are taking on a bigger role in shaping data protection policies by creating laws that complement federal regulations. These state-level laws focus on protecting citizens’ privacy and addressing regional concerns.
4 Global Privacy Laws Amplified
According to Gartner, by 2024, about 75% of the world’s population will be protected by modern privacy laws. This shift means users will have more rights, supported by unified frameworks like Nymity’s Privacy Management and Accountability Framework™ (PMAF) and the OECD guidelines.
Adopting a comprehensive privacy framework, such as Nymity’s PMAF™ or the OECD guidelines, provides clear benefits for businesses and consumers over a law-by-law compliance approach.
5 The Growing Awareness Of Privacy Rights
With increased legal enforcement of privacy regulations, consumer awareness of their privacy rights is on the rise. Statista reports that the exercise of Data Subject Access Rights (DSAR) grew from 24% in 2022 to 28% in 2023.
Companies like Apple are playing a key role in this trend by empowering users to control their data. For example, iOS 17 lets users manage app access to their photo library, and App Tracking Transparency has been allowing users to control how apps track their data for several years now.
Along with the awareness of the value of online identity and digital data, the demand for secure data has increased. For this purpose, applications have been created that provide data encryption and anonymize them. One of the representatives of the niche is VPN. Moreover, you can use free VPN and safely navigate the Internet. Data is not only encrypted, but also its real direction of transmission is hidden, as is the user’s location.
6 Zero Trust Architecture
Zero Trust Architecture (ZTA) is revolutionizing data protection by eliminating implicit trust within an organization’s network. Instead, ZTA ensures continuous verification and validation of every user, device, and application accessing resources.
Conclusion
Safeguarding sensitive data is more critical than ever. With rising cyber threats and regulatory scrutiny, businesses must stay agile and proactive. By adopting new technologies, following regulations, and prioritizing data security, organizations can thrive while protecting their valuable data assets.
Comments are closed.