On Knowing and Exercising the Rights to Data Privacy

by ANTOINE JOY MONTECALVO

It was 11 PM when my phone lit up with a notification: "Your account is logged in on another device…." In a panic, I clicked and locked my email account immediately. I haven't even finished reading the notification. Then it occurred to me I opened my account on my laptop in the wee hours of the night; the message was just late.

The internet is not a safe space as we ought it to be. We are aware of that. The question is how knowledgeable we can be in exercising our data privacy while respecting that of others. Say somebody took a photo of you without you knowing and uploaded it online. Instead of feeling flattered, you feel perplexed. You could be riding a bus texting someone, and the person next to you was reading your conversation. It creeps you out, right? Or say you logged in to your account on a friend's device, and they only logged it out once they have posted a thing or two on your socials. You must have felt violated.

These are only some infringements that may sound simple but hold a significant impact on respecting the data privacy of others. As much as these are considered violations committed by others, we cannot hold them accountable if they lack the proper education on data privacy and how to practice it. As we all know, today's world is run wholly via data and technology. Everything about us is stored in our email addresses and personal accounts from unique backgrounds, interests, locations, etc. Information disclosure is a sensitive concern, and companies can even be sued if they divulge their customers' personal information. If ordinary people commoners look at it that way, then we might be wary of blowing a gaff on an individual's information.

As much as these are considered violations committed by other people, we cannot hold them accountable if they themselves lack the proper education on what data privacy is and how to practice it.

What is our role in exercising the rights to data privacy? It is as easy as one, two, and three: (1) Educate; raise awareness on its relevance to the present society. We live in an era of big data. Private and personal information is our banknotes. (2) Effective practice; upholding confidentiality is easy to say, but we must walk our talk. Wrapping our heads around data privacy and protection might not be easy, but it is common decency not to exploit private information whether these people are public figures or not. And (3) youth; they are the agents of change in this day and age. They can become advocates for digital security and internet safety. They can raise awareness and start a movement on the effective practice of data privacy.

It was 11 AM, and I had just finished listening to a webinar on Youth Advocates for Data Protection. I was instructed to fill up a google form. Instead of just clicking submit without reading, I reviewed the terms and conditions on who has my data input and how they are not to disseminate it without my knowledge. One step closer to knowing my rights to data privacy. "Oh, to be a responsible data citizen!" I thought as I told my classmates to read over the agreements on the form too.