Data Privacy Laws for Non-Lawyers
We have all noticed that every website we visit lately now asks if we accept cookies. These small files are sent to your computer or smartphone device from the website you are visiting. They allow the website or the company that owns the site to monitor your usage or remember specific details about you.
While it may seem like it’s a recent trend, websites have collected information about their site visitors through cookies or other technologies for years. And even though the use of cookies is meant strictly for marketing purposes, and it’s generally safe to accept them, many people are naturally concerned about who sees their personal information and how exactly it is used. That is why data privacy laws are in place to ensure those harmless cookies and other ways to share information online continue to be harmless for all.
What You Should Know About Data Privacy Laws
Practically every country now has some type of data privacy laws in place. These laws help regulate how information is shared and collected. It also governs how data subjects are informed and how much control data subjects have over the personal information from the website visitor after it is transferred.
At Opacity, we do things differently than other cloud storage providers. Our state-of-the-art client-side encryption ensures that you are the only person who has access to your files.
- Opacity CEO, Jason Coppola
If nothing is done to protect the privacy of the data when it is transferred, you could be faced with a lawsuit or fines.
By understanding the current data privacy laws, you will be less likely to run into any serious issues with visitors to your website if there were a security breach.
Important U.S. Data Privacy Laws
The U.S. Federal Trade Commission Act gives the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) jurisdiction over commercial entities. It stops unfair or deceptive trade practices involving data privacy. And while it doesn’t necessarily regulate what information must be included within the privacy policies on websites, the FTC does use its authority to enforce privacy laws, issue regulations, and take actions to protect consumers from online threats.
We are dedicated to making sure our customer’s private information remains private. Our collection of apps made by members of the Opacity community allow users to have even more control over their data.
- Opacity CEO, Jason Coppola
Current data privacy acts in the United States we should all know about include:
- The Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act:
Known as COPPA, this act regulates collecting information a website can gather from minors. - The Health Insurance Portability and Accounting Act:
This governs any type of collection of health information from website visitors. - The Gramm Leach Bliley Act:
This governs the information collected by banks or other financial institutions. - The Fair Credit Reporting Act:
This regulates collecting and using a consumer’s credit information.
Along with the federal laws and regulations mentioned above, there are hundreds of data privacy and security laws for each US state, territory, and locality. At this time, 25 state attorneys general oversee data privacy laws that govern the storage, safeguarding, collection, use, and disposal of personal data collected from residents. Some of these laws only apply to government entities while others apply to private entities or both.
Send Files Without the Risk of Sharing Personal Information or Contact Details
At Opacity, we believe you should always have complete control over your files and who can see them. That’s why we offer Private Cloud Storage featuring built-in blockchain technology, allowing you to share files safely and with confidence.
For more information on the services we offer, visit our website.
About Opacity
Founded in 2018, Opacity Storage is dedicated to online data privacy and security. Online data breaches continue to be a major consumer risk. Opacity is reducing this risk by removing the need to provide personal payment data and by decentralizing files stored online. For more information, visit opacity.io and follow @Opacity_Storage on Twitter.
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