1.21 Gigawatts of Privacy Protection: Powering Up for Data Privacy Day
“Where we’re going, we don’t need roads…”
Imagine a world…
…where your every click, swipe, and scroll left behind a trail of digital breadcrumbs. A world where companies knew your favorite flavor of ice cream before you did, and targeted ads followed you like an overly enthusiastic puppy.
Wait…that’s now…moving on.
*Side note, it’s Mint Chocolate Chip.
Take 2: Once Upon a Time…
…In a magical decade called “The 80’s”, a new generation was born.
Elder Millennials rallied for D.A.R.E., collected POGS, and didn’t have their first taste of the internet until 6th Grade-ish (well, that was my experience).
Logging on meant hijacking the phone line and enduring a violent screech every time it dialed up (and for the love of God, “MOM, DON’T TOUCH THE PHONE!”), but dang - we were inching closer and closer to the future that Marty McFly and Doc showed us. Pretty soon, our clothes would inflate to fit us, our fridge would know our favorite foods, and cars were definitely going to fly.
October 21, 2015 sounded awesome, didn’t it?
That was the pre-Data Privacy Day era, a time when your data roamed free like Doc and Clara on their magic train in the Wild West of the internet.
Back to the Point: Data Privacy Day!
Now, this day isn't your typical, run-of-the-mill holiday. No fireworks or parades here.
Instead, it's a celebration of awareness, a chance to shine a spotlight on the importance of protecting your personal information.
But where did this all begin?
Buckle up, because we're about to embark on a journey back in time (groooan, I’m so sorry) through the history of Data Privacy Day, a story that’s not as good as a certain trilogy that I can’t seem to stop writing about, but still wildly interesting..
We’re going back to the 80’s because in 1981, across the pond, a momentous event occurred. The Council of Europe, known for its love of human rights and fancy treaties, signed Convention 108, the first international agreement on data protection.
Fast forward to the mid-2000’s, and the Council, along with the European Commission, decided to throw a party to commemorate this landmark occasion. Thus, Data Protection Day was born, celebrated on January 28th every year.
In 2008, those of us in the United States and Canada decided that we deserve a party too, so in 2008 we declared our own National Data Privacy Day. Soon, other countries like Qatar, Nigeria, and Israel joined the movement.
But the Story Doesn't End There!
In 2020, the National Cybersecurity Alliance realized that our obsession with data wasn’t slowing down, so decided that we really need the entire week leading up to January 28th to be "Data Privacy Week." It's like Spring Break, but instead of hitting the beach, you're learning about strong passwords and two-factor authentication (which is way more exciting, trust me).
I hear that Data Privacy Day is a global phenomenon. Though somehow I just learned all of this, so perhaps my invite got lost in the mail.
On a serious note, many celebrate with educational resources ranging from workshops, webinars, and social media campaigns to drive a rallying cry for individuals to take control of their data. It's a reminder that we have the right to know what information is collected about us, how it's used, and who has access to it.
So, the next time you see that Data Privacy Day banner, don't just scroll past. Take it as an oppportunity to brush up on the latest privacy laws, learn about your data rights, and be an advocate for your digital self.
And hey, who knows, maybe one day Data Privacy Day will be as talked about as, well, Back to the Future. Only time will tell!
