Where is Your Data?

All of this information is about you. There are different laws that protect your privacy and data in your country. But do you know where your data is?

When you are at the doctor’s office, the conversation you have with the doctor is recorded in your medical chart. For billing purposes, this information may be shared with the insurance company to ensure appropriate billing and quality. Now, a part of your medical record for the visit is also at the insurance company.

The store loyalty cards maybe a convenient way to save money for your purchases. However, the store is compiling a profile of your purchases and using that information for its own use. The profile shows a buyer purchases a certain brand and flavor of toothpaste regularly. The store uses this information to target the buyer with special offers from the marketing partner. By using the loyalty card, the store and the marketing partner have a profile for the purchasing behavior of a customer.

When you share your pictures online with your friends, do you know who may have a copy of the pictures? Copies of the pictures are on your own devices. Your friends may have copies of those pictures downloaded onto their devices. If the pictures are shared publicly, strangers may have copies of them, too. They could download those pictures or take screenshots of those pictures. Because the pictures were posted online, they are also saved on servers located in different parts of the world. Now the pictures are no longer only found on your computing devices.