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The right and practice of controlling personal information, limiting collection, use, and disclosure to protect individuals.
DESCRIPTION
Privacy safeguards people’s control over personal data and expectations of confidentiality. It encompasses lawful bases for processing, purpose limitation, and transparency. Regulations like GDPR define rights and obligations. Techniques include consent management, anonymization, and privacy-by-design. Risk assessments (DPIAs) identify harms and mitigations. Privacy intersects with security but is distinct. In AI, privacy covers training data handling, model leakage, and synthetic data. Ethical frameworks emphasize respect for persons. Strong governance protects trust and compliance.
ALTERNATIVE DEFINITIONS
OECD Privacy Framework
Privacy is a fundamental value, underpinning human dignity and other key values such as freedom of association and freedom of speech.
Frames privacy as foundational to human dignity and freedoms.
European Commission
Data protection rules ensure that individuals have control over their personal data and that their data is used lawfully.
Emphasizes control and lawful processing under EU rules.
NIST
Privacy engineering provides a systematic approach to building privacy into systems by identifying privacy risks and applying controls.
Highlights engineering methodology for privacy-by-design.
RELATED TERMS
Data Protection GDPR Consent Management Anonymization Pseudonymization Data Minimization Data Protection Impact Assessment Data Subject Rights Retention Confidentiality
COMPETING TERMS
RELATIONS
KNOWLEDGE AREAS
Data Privacy & Compliance Data Security AI Governance
TARGET AUDIENCE
Data Governance Manager Chief Data Officer Data Steward Data Management Consultant Chief Information Officer Chief Technology Officer
EXTERNAL SOURCES
- Wikipedia - Privacy
- GDPR.eu - Overview of EU privacy regulation
- ISO - ISO/IEC 27701 privacy management
- NIST - NIST Privacy Framework
- UK Information Commissioner’s Office - UK GDPR practical guidance
TOP QUESTIONS
How does Privacy differ from Data Security?
Security protects data from unauthorized access; privacy governs lawful collection and use. Both are necessary but address different risks.
Category: Misunderstanding
What principles underpin Privacy in GDPR?
Lawfulness, fairness, transparency, purpose limitation, data minimization, accuracy, storage limitation, integrity and confidentiality, and accountability.
Category: Requirements
What is a DPIA in Privacy programs?
A Data Protection Impact Assessment identifies privacy risks and mitigations for high-risk processing, required under GDPR in certain cases.
Category: Example
What are common Privacy mistakes?
Collecting excessive data without purpose, weak consent management, and ignoring retention policies. These erode trust and compliance.
Category: Mistakes
How does Privacy impact AI training data?
Consent, anonymization, and data minimization guide dataset curation. Address re-identification risks and model leakage via privacy-preserving techniques.
Category: Risks
What is a hot topic in Privacy?
Privacy-enhancing technologies (PETs) like differential privacy, federated learning, and homomorphic encryption are increasingly adopted.
Category: Topic
Where should organizations start with Privacy?
Define a privacy framework, data inventory, and processing records. Establish consent, rights management, and training.
Category: Management
How does Privacy relate to consent?
Consent is one lawful basis for processing. It must be informed, specific, and revocable.
Category: Requirements
What is retention’s role in Privacy?
Retention limits storage to necessary periods. Enforce deletion schedules to reduce risk.
Category: Management