Ethical Data Privacy in a Time of COVID-19

[InfoSec News <alerts () infosecnews org>]

https://www.cpomagazine.com/data-privacy/ethical-data-privacy-in-a-time-of-covid-19/

By Pam Hrubey
cpomagazine.com
April 27, 2020

As COVID-19 continues to spread, the data collected from those who are infected 
will increase greatly. As the number of infected individuals rises, so does the 
potential stigma associated with infection. As a result, companies that collect 
data indicating infection status – even incidentally – must handle that 
information in an ethical manner that protects the privacy of data subjects. 
Even when regulations are vague or nonspecific, organizations must assess the 
necessity of sharing sensitive information, and they must respect the 
preferences of their data subjects.

Extending explicit choice to consumers even when not required allows them to 
control their own data in a detailed manner. Organizations increasingly are 
realizing that this is a business advantage.


Regulatory compliance versus ethical compliance

Regulations such as the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation 
(GDPR) and the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) suggest that data privacy 
is an increasingly universal concern. Regulations likely will continue to 
expand in geographic coverage and in specificity. Some companies, such as 
Microsoft, have taken a proactive approach and extended the protections 
afforded by this progressive legislation to those who reside outside the 
covered jurisdictions.

These extended protections anticipate the likelihood that similar legislation 
will be enacted on a wide scale. But a standardized regulatory framework also 
can serve as a foundation on which a company can build clear privacy policies 
and standards, keeping the rights of the consumer front and center.

[...]

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