In an effort to spread an international message addressingprivacy, data protection, and trust, January 28th was deemed Data Privacy Day (DPD). Officially recognized throughout the United States and Canada in 2008, DPD was designed to mirror the message spread in Europe. It was to commemorate the signing of Convention 108, which was the first legal internationaltreaty focused on privacy and the safeguarding of electronic data. Convention 108 was put into effect on January 28th, 1981.DPD is currently sponsored by the National Cyber Security Alliance (NCSA). Many organizations from a variety of industries observed the January 28th holiday, including Intel, Verizon, Microsoft, Symantec, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Federal Communication Commission (FCC), the Identity Theft Council, the Anti-Phishing Working Group, and OCD Tech.Data privacy and information protection is increasingly important every day, due to growing concerns both within government entities and the private sector. Financial institutions, for example, continue to focus on protecting the personally identifying information (PII) that they maintain both for legal compliance; particularly related to the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act (GLBA), and from a moral obligation. Soon, entities within the EU will be required to comply with the General Data Protection Regulation, or GDPR, which will drastically change the privacy landscape for businesses when the rule is put into effect on May 25th, 2018.Whether our customers request an IT general controls review (ITGC), a vulnerability assessment (VA), a penetration test (PT), social engineering, a full scope IT Audit, a SOC2 report, or DFARS compliance assistance, we know that the privacy and security are the underlying reasons that we are in business. Therefore, whether we are working from our headquarters in Braintree, Massachusetts, or on site with a customer, we make sure to approach our engagements withsecurity and data protectionin mind.

Here are some things you can do right away to help enhance your internet privacy:

1.      Install an encrypted messaging app, such as Signal or WhatsApp
2.      Use full-disk encryption on your own devices
3.      Reevaluate your social media settings and internet presence, and make sure that you are truly familiar with the privacy settings which surround your accounts
4.      Encourage privacy best practices be implemented for friends and family, and continue the conversation about ways to remain secure