The idea that “data is the new oil” is not unfounded. High-quality data has become an essential tool for decision making and fuels insights that power processes and business objectives. The demand for data has gone through the roof, but like oil, raw data isn’t what’s valuable—rather, “the value is created when it is gathered quickly, completely, and accurately, and connected to other relevant data.”
But gathering data–especially sensitive data–is complicated. In the US, there’s a lack of clear and comprehensive data privacy legislation, which compounds risk for businesses that want to leverage sensitive data responsibly. Moreover, as technology progresses and capabilities for data collection become more efficient, data privacy issues become even more complex. As discussed by Deloitte in a report about the importance and challenges of data privacy, especially in recent years: “Organizational boundaries are no longer static, making it difficult to track how, where, and by whom information is being stored, managed, and accessed.”
Securely housing and utilizing sensitive data is essential to be successful in today’s landscape of fiercely competitive data-driven business models. This poses an important question: How can businesses protect consumers’ private data and analyze it responsibly?
The Principles of Privacy by Design
Privacy by Design (PbD) is cutting-edge and internationally recognized framework designed to protect consumers’ private data by default while enabling businesses to derive valuable insights. Developed and published by Ann Cavoukian in 2009, PbD takes design thinking and applies it to technology and business strategy by weaving privacy preservation into the fabric of a company—from organizational priorities, to project objectives, design processes, and planning operations.
The framework consists of seven foundational principles:
- Proactive not reactive, preventive not remedial
- Privacy as the default setting
- Privacy embedded into design
- Full functionality—positive-sum, not zero-sum
- End-to-end security—full lifecycle protection
- Visibility and transparency—keep it open
- Respect for user privacy—keep it user-centric
PbD at Spectus
Abiding by the seven foundational principles of PbD has become table stakes for any company that’s serious about privacy. At Spectus, our privacy strategy is grounded in PbD, incorporating privacy in every step of product development, processes, and decisions. Coupled with our industry-leading data clean room, Spectus’ comprehensive privacy strategy empowers partners to transform their business with mobility insights quickly, so they can direct their resources back to the essence of their business—their people and key differentiators.
Learn more about Spectus’ privacy strategy and how we address each principle of Privacy by Design in our latest white paper.
