Innovation & Technology

Respect Privacy: Clarivate's Commitment to Being A Data Privacy Champion

Jan 28, 2021 1:10 PM ET

Clarivate is proud to be signed up as a Data Privacy Day Champion with the National Cyber Security Alliance! Please join us in celebrating and share what what privacy means to you or how you stay #PrivacyAware.

Data Privacy Day is an international day that takes place every January 28th that is intended to generate awareness about the importance of privacy, educate society about how to protect their personal data, and remind organizations that privacy is good for business. Data Privacy Day began back in 2008 in the United States and Canada as an extension of Europe’s Data Protection Day celebration. Data Protection Day commemorates the Jan. 28, 1981, signing of Convention 108, the first legally binding international treaty dealing with privacy and data protection.

This year’s theme for individuals is “Own Your Privacy” by learning more about how to protect your valuable data online. The theme for businesses is “Respect Privacy” which advocates for organizations being responsible for keeping individuals’ personal information safe from unauthorized access and ensuring fair, relevant and legitimate data collection and processing. 

What is privacy?

Great question! Privacy is often confused with secrecy. But privacy, on the other hand, is mostly about the right of a person to choose seclusion from the attention of others if they wish to do so, and the right to be immune from scrutiny or being observed. In other words, it’s about having control and choices over your personal life and personal information. Edward Snowden once said, “Privacy is the right to a free mind. Without privacy, you can’t have anything for yourself.” 

What is personal data?

Next, let’s tackle the meaning of personal data. Personal data is information that relates to an identified or identifiable individual. It’s a very broad term and can include a lot of information that many people overlook. Of course, personal data can include personally identifiable information (“PII”) such as names, social security numbers and e-mail addresses, but it can also include a person’s thoughts, beliefs, political affiliations, online behaviors and device usage history.

Why should we care about privacy?

Now, let’s talk about why privacy is so important. Many countries now have laws and regulations that impose obligations on organizations that collect and process personal data, but the importance of privacy goes beyond regulatory compliance. So, for what other reasons is privacy important?

Privacy is important to customers, and they want to do business with privacy-mature organizations they trust. In a Consumer Reports survey conducted last year, 74% of respondents said they were extremely/very or moderately concerned about the privacy of their personal data that companies collect and store about them, and 73% of respondents said they were concerned about how much data companies were collecting and storing about them.

Privacy is an important social justice issue, and privacy inequities can result in serious economic and social consequences. Just imagine... 

  • How sample bias can impact the development of algorithms that affect our everyday lives such as credit decisions, facial recognition technology used by law enforcement,
  • How it feels to be subjected to higher levels of government data collection and surveillance just to be on public assistance;
  • Trying to understand a privacy notice published by a big tech company if you never learned to read; 
  • A child being bullied through social media and not being able to close their account, lock down their profile or block specific individuals from contacting them; or
  • Caring for a sick parent and not being able to get access to their medical records to help you with healthcare decision making.

 How can we become more #PrivacyAware?

  • Always remember the person behind the data. When working with large amounts of data, even if the data is masked or gathered from public sources, remember the data belongs to a human being...someone’s mother, father, child, sibling, friend. 
  • Educate yourself and your family on staying safe online and responsible privacy practices. There are great resources available on staysafeonline.org. 
  • Be an advocate for privacy. Never be afraid to ask questions. Challenge yourself and others to use personal data not just compliantly, but also ethically.
  • Find ways to achieve technological innovation without sacrificing an individual's right to privacy.