Data Privacy vs. Data Security: Understanding the Maze
Privacy and Security are not the same thing. Learn the differences and how to ensure your company complies with GDPR, CCPA, and HIPAA.
Many executives use the terms "Data Privacy" and "Data Security" interchangeably, but they represent two entirely different disciplines in the IT world.
Data Security
Data security focuses on protecting data from malicious threats. It involves firewalls, AES-256 encryption, access controls, and penetration testing. It is the fortress that keeps the hackers out.
Data Privacy
Data privacy is about the authorized use of data. Even if your data is perfectly secure, you are violating data privacy laws if you sell customer email addresses without their explicit consent. It involves compliance frameworks like GDPR (Europe) and CCPA (California).
Achieving Both
To run a responsible modern enterprise, you need both. You must secure the data from external threats while simultaneously implementing strict internal governance on how that data is collected, stored, and utilized.