technology have provided several valuable products and services that may enhance or threaten our privacy, depending on how we use these products and for what purpose. The use of technology in our lives may raise serious concerns about privacy, which has left policymakers to look for solutions, especially in the context of online privacy and biometric identification. Recent stories about personal information or data misuse are driving policymakers to explore the issue and possible responses. There has been a lot said about how personal data is collected and used by third parties: particularly given the growth of several data scandals involving some of the world’s largest companies. But should you be concerned about how personal data misuse? In this article, we will explain more about what personal data misuse is & how it can happen ? What is Individual data misuse? To give you exact context, let’s first explain what data misuse is and how a person’s personal information involves using it in ways the person never intended. Unlike data theft, data misuse doesn’t necessarily happen due to a cyberattack or when the data is collected without its owner’s permission. Misusing data means, even if a person is willing to share his data with a company, the company uses or shares this information for purposes the user didn’t agree to. Although preventing data theft is covered under the “Computer Misuses act”, , such misuses are very common now a days. Causes of Personal Data Misuse The misuse of information of personal data can lead to unintentional data compromise. Lack Of Data Handling Practices Data misuse often happens when company & employees lack good data handling practices. For example, when employees copy confidential work files or data to their devices, they need to make sure that it remains confidential. However, if the data is accessible outside without their permission, say due to theft or accidental leakage, then surely there is lack of proper data handling practices. Collection Errors It also leads to the misuse of data. Inaccurate algorithms can result in a company bringing in data never meant to gather, endangering customers, and leaving businesses vulnerable against compliance regulations. Improper storage An improper storage is another misuse of personal information. Depending on how you categorize it in your system, some data may be accessible to the wrong teams or users if stored in an incorrect location. Intentional Misuse There is a growing concern about intentional data theft, either by insiders or by hackers targeting a company. Such illegal data collected is commercially traded or used to demand ransom money from company or individuals. Such data collected can also be used to conduct fraud or harm individuals. Example, credit card data stolen can be used to misused to do online fraud. Personal data can be used to impersonate , cheat or access bank information. What Laws Exist In India To Save Personal Data? India doesn’t have anything equivalent to the GDPR or the Data protection directive; however, India has adopted other international declarations and conventions such as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. It has not yet enacted specific legislation on data protection. The Information Technology Act (2000), including Section 43A and Section 72A, gives the right to compensation for improper disclosure of personal information. Section 72A of the IT Act includes a fine of up to INR 500,000 against a person or body when disclosing personal information in breach of a lawful contract or without consent. The act provides imprisonment for up to three years to disclose personal information in breach or without consent. Section 43A of the IT Act for companies or individual is liable to pay compensation if company is found possessing, dealing, or handling any sensitive personal data without any consent. How To Prevent Individual Data Being Misused? Every organization has unique challenges to face when it comes to addressing data security; however, there are some best practices to apply in your workplace to help prevent data misuse. Implementation Of Identity And Access management It is essential to verify the identity of each user that attempts to access your system to protect your data. Implementation of multi-factor authentication or MFA to make sure only trusted users could access your data. The service secures the authentication process by requiring addition layer of credentials, apart from normnal username & password . Additional layer can be something the user possesses like security code sent online or by use of extra tokens or using biometric checks. Establish need-to-know access You need to setup systems to detect and prevent data misuse when users access files or data. Although activity logs allow you to track and contextualize every action that takes place in your network, activity monitoring solutions preferably using AI can complement logs and help secure your data by continuously observing when and how each user interacts with it. Set Up Behavior Alerts And Analytics It is challenging to monitor a workforce continuously, especially in a large organization about data misuse. Implementing solutions with alert features will help these organizations notify administrators upon any potentially compromising events. Real-time analytics are essential for stopping data misuse. User Entity Behavior Analytics Modules assess user’s actions and determine regular activities for each account holder. Educate Your Team Keeping employees up-to-date on data security can help organizations prevent accidental leaks and misuse. Educate them about data procedures and standards of the company. Regular awareness training on data security can help to raise user awareness. Cybersecurity companies also provide training awareness sessions to keep credentials confidential and educating users about data security & cyberattacks. Wondering where to begin? Consult a Cyber security partner who can educate , design and implement a robust Data Security Solution . About SNS: Secure Network Solutions India ( SNS ) provides a quantifiable, risk-based approach to build cybersecurity & data protection systems based on globally recognized frameworks and standards. We have been protecting businesses for the last 20 years! Write to us at [email protected]