What is Your Personal Data? And How To Know Where It Goes

Headlines about data leaks and unauthorized sharing of personal data continue to  proliferate, with the Cambridge Analytics case making waves that are still spreading throughout the world. Yet as of now, there is no Federal law in the US with a similar scope and sweep to the EU’s GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation). California’s Consumer Privacy Act comes closest at the state level, but that doesn’t provide a lot of reassurance to those of us who don’t live in the Golden State.

However, given that there are data breach laws in all 50 states, and good data protection products like dfndr security Pro available, there are a few important ways to get a better grip on your personal data, and keep yours protected. At PSafe, we believe in, and advocate for your rights regarding control of your private, personal data, and our products are designed to help you know who might be using your data, and where that data goes, as the world moves toward a better overall framework of personal data rights. Our Research Director at PSafe’s dfndr lab, Emilio Simoni offers perspective: “At PSafe, we strongly advocate for comprehensive data rights legislation, but in the meantime, we urge our customers to be vigilant, and use the tools we make available to make good decisions about their online interactions – and be aware of the ways these interactions shape the distribution, exposure, and use of their personal data.” 

Before we talk about those capabilities, we want to take a moment to more fully understand what is meant by the term personal data.

Foundations: What Is Personal Data?

“At the most fundamental level,” Simoni explains, “your personal data is any data that can be attached directly and uniquely to you. However, there are some subtleties involved that are worth discussing, to get a more nuanced understanding.”

A simple example of personal data would be your Social Security number, birthdate, or full name. Your credit card and bank account numbers are also clearly personal and private. But there are also pieces of data that have a “double” character: when you shop online, the items you buy are personal information, but they also have a public aspect: the retailer who sells them to you must replenish their stock after all, so they of course track the items and maintain their inventory.

Your Consumer Data

What has expanded greatly in the age of internet commerce however, is information that connects you to your buying (and browsing) habits. What do you buy when shopping online? What do you watch on streaming TV? What websites do you browse? What games do you play? Sellers of services and products, and advertisers, are highly interested in all of those things about you, and this is the area being navigated now by privacy laws and existing or developing data rights legislation. At pSafe, our position is simple: you should have control of where data of this kind is collected, who sees it, and how they use it.

dfndr security Pro offers Privacy Protection 

dfndr security Pro plan enables users with knowledge. Our App Privacy Scan provides four key pieces of information that we see as essential for today’s digital environment.” Check these capabilities as follows:

1. Knowing if apps you are using are known to be malicious.
2. Seeing if any of your apps have suffered data breaches.
3. Being able to easily see the information permissions you have granted for any app.
4. Seeing (on a global map) where app information is being sent or used.

“These fundamentals are each interesting in and of themselves, but they combine to help users truly get a grasp of how their interactions with various applications affect their personal data,” Simoni concludes.

How Can You Get This Protection ?

dfndr security is a free app that can help you manage the storage, battery life, and wifi security of your digital device, while also offering protection via a url checker, and anti hacker and phishing protections. You can try dfndr security PRO for 3-day free, and upgrade if you like the protection it provides.

dfndr security Pro offers:

Identity Theft Reports — So you know if your online credentials have leaked

Safe App installer — checks for malicious apps before you install them

App Privacy Protection — Offers the four protections mentioned above: notifications about issues with apps you’re using; app data breaches, permissions you’ve granted to various apps, and info about where your data may be used.

Anti-Theft Protection — Protects your phone from thieves with an alarm, remote lock-out, and a picture of the thief.

It’s a full suite of protection for users who recognize that they must take an active role in their own digital security.

 You can download dfndr security and start your free trial right away.