Data breach and privacy in the digital era

Abstract

The trend of data breaches globally is attracting concerns from business owners and the government of differentcountries. Notwithstanding the multiple pieces of legislation and strict requirements for reducing crime, there hasbeen an exponential increase in data breach incidents. These crimes result in the loss of billions of dollars annuallyfrom small entities and large enterprises. Data breaches did not only start during the digital era with technologicaladvancement; they started when individuals and organizations stored and maintained their data and records on-premises. However, as technology advances and computer systems become more accessible and affordable,coupled with poor management of sensitive documents, data breaches occur when individuals view other people’sfiles without authorization. The rate of data breaches rose from 1980 to the early 2000s, giving rise to awarenessof the canker. Laws and regulatory agencies such as Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA)and Payment Card Industry (PCI) Data Security Standards were then established to guide sensitive data and thecustodians. Regulatory frameworks developed as best practices to secure sensitive information are, however,not being implemented exhaustively, thereby not able to gatekeep satisfactorily. Data breach frequency is highin the digital era. The digital era exposes organizations and individuals continually to potential security breaches.Technologies like artificial Intelligence, machine learning, and data modeling make it possible to design algorithmsand neural networks that help anticipate events and generate more data. Subsequently, fling open the gates topotential data breaches. In essence, it becomes absolutely necessary to consider the aftermath of informationsecurity and privacy in this digital era.