The N.C. Department of Information Technology is joining others from around the world Jan. 27-31 to recognize Data Privacy Week. This annual initiative focuses on building privacy awareness and empowering individuals and organizations to respect privacy, protect data and strengthen public trust.
“Because we lead much of our lives online, we leave a detailed digital trail. To protect ourselves, we must protect our data,” said Governor Josh Stein. “Reviewing privacy settings, disabling unnecessary location services, and paying close attention to what and where we reveal our personal information online are all good ways to limit who has access to our data.”
Identifying information collected online may be stored indefinitely and used to customize your experience or track your activity. Some companies may match it with other data to create a profile for you or sell your information. These profiles may contain information about your habits, interests, buying patterns and health.
"With increasing connectivity and the rise of artificial intelligence and generative AI, protecting our personal information is more critical than ever,” said NCDIT Secretary and State Chief Information Officer Teena Piccione. “Remember a few key steps to safeguard your personal information like strong, unique passwords, two-factor authentication and careful review of each suspicious email, text or link prior to clicking that might try to trick you into revealing personal information."
Here are some additional tips to help protect data privacy:
- Review and manage privacy settings. Each device, application or browser has different features to limit how and with whom data is shared. It is important to check these regularly and adjust them as needed. You can use these direct links to update settings on popular devices and online services.
- Streamline your online presence. Delete inactive accounts and apps you do not use. They may still be collecting and sending data. Disable tracking and turn off location services when you are not using them. Keep all software, operating systems and apps that you do use up to date.
- Read the fine print. Read the privacy policy and terms of use for any application you plan to use. Be thoughtful about who is allowed access to your personal information. Make sure you understand and agree with how your information will be used.
- Share with care. Think before posting information about yourself or others. Consider what the post reveals, who might see it and how it could be perceived now and in the future. Remember that information you post online may never fully be removed, and social media privacy settings may not stop your posts from being shared by others. Never share personal information that you use for security purposes, such as your date of birth or the name of your first pet or teacher, in online quizzes.
- Be intelligent about artificial intelligence. While AI can be a helpful tool, it is important to remember that AI systems learn from user inputs. You should not share any personal or financial information, sensitive personal data from your workplace or intellectual property with publicly available AI.
“It’s important to understand how to protect our own data, respect the privacy of others and minimize the amount of sensitive data we share because it may be used for unintended purposes,” said Cherie Givens, the state’s chief privacy officer.
The Office of Privacy and Data Protection leads North Carolina’s privacy program and provides privacy guidance, services, resources and training to state agencies. The office works to embed a culture of privacy, data protection and transparency across state government and ensure that sensitive information entrusted to the state by residents, businesses and visitors is used for its intended purposes and remains protected.
NCDIT will be sharing privacy tips and resources throughout the week on social media using the hashtag #DataPrivacyWeek. For more information and other helpful links, visit it.nc.gov/privacy.