Forecasts: what lies ahead for privacy in 2021–2025. Part 2.
Today we will talk with Siarhei Varankevich CIPP/E, CIPT, CIPM, FIP, Founder of Data Privacy Office LLC, Data Protection Trainer and Principal Consultant about what privacy awaits in the future and what will happen to our personal data in the coming years.
The first trend is that consumers are becoming more conscious and cautious about who they entrust their data to.
People are increasingly facing problems, discrimination and abuse of their personal data. We have already learnt not to answer phone calls from unknown numbers, not to give anyone the sms codes from our banking, and to lock the camera on our smartphones and laptops. Gradually, we will learn other measures to protect our privacy.
Users will begin to choose between two similar products the one that gives them more security. For example, we are already used to buying organic products at the shop, even if they cost more than conventional ones.
My personal example. I buy a tablet and I choose between two manufacturers: Lenovo and Samsung. Samsung has a Secure folder feature that allows you to create a shadow operating system with apps and files, all of which can be hidden at the touch of a button. Although Lenovo is better and more advantageous in other respects, I would rather choose its competitor as security comes first for me.
The second trend comes from the first one. Brands will begin to broadcast privacy-friendly status in their advertising. And since people don’t have time to dig into everything, they will simply choose those companies that have this privacy badge.
For example, I have a strong association that Volvo is the safest car. I haven’t gone into detail about what it’s made of, how many safety airbags it has and what crash tests have been done. But if I want a reliable car, I will immediately think of this brand.
Gradually, Volvo’s equivalents will emerge in the privacy field as well. Individual businesses will become recognised precisely for their concern for user data, and will form that image in the public consciousness.
For example, Apple has already labelled itself a “privacy-friendly” company. We know of a case where they refused to give the FBI the keys to decrypt the phone data of one of their users who committed a terrorist attack. The whole world followed the development of this story, and now Apple has been taken over by some of the users who care about security.
Brands that can anchor their privacy-friendly status will gain an advantage. We are now on the verge of these changes. Of course, for many people, the issue of price or design still outweighs the value of privacy. But gradually they are diminishing, and there are users who appreciate security more and are willing to pay for it.
This leads us to the third trend. A natural evolutionary process of the business environment will take place.
Companies whose business model is incompatible with data protection will either adapt or be forced out of the market. Users will stop contacting them, new laws, bans and fines, inspections and class action lawsuits will appear that will make it impossible to do such business.
By the way, I have seen good examples of adaptation. There is a company which used to be a data broker. It collected information about people from various sources, compiled profiles on them and sold them to various interested organisations. For example, to marketers, salespeople, collectors.
Apparently seeing trends in privacy, this company changed its business. They now provide services to subjects to remove their information from the databases of other data brokers, using the right to be forgotten.
