Minimise for privacy

At its core, our right to privacy means having the right to be left alone. Regarding personal information, that means not asking for it if you don’t really need it. It’s the principle of data minimization under European privacy law, and it’s beneficial for both consumers and organizations.

From my Security in 60 Seconds series at iWelcome

Don’t ask for it

Say we have a registration form to order online tickets for an event. If I need an e-ticket to show at the door, I probably want to get it by email. So, let’s give ’em my online address. Perhaps, my name, if they don’t want me to resell the ticket? Okay. But gender? Date of birth? What I had for breakfast? Surely that wouldn’t be proportional to ask.

Good for business

Now consider the other end. Keeping more data equals more security threats. It attracts hackers, or, when lost by mistake, the more extensive customer records also worsen the breach. That’s why minimizing data makes sense for the business. Print less, forward fewer emails, throw away that resume after having met the candidate. Minimize what you can for maximum privacy!