How your data can be misused

- April 20, 2022

How your data can be misused

Whenever we use any website or application and sign up using our mail id, we agree with the terms and conditions of the provider.

While many of these agreements are not necessary. They make their terms of how their company will use the personal data collected from the user. These data are used majorly in three ways:

1) Personal data is analyzed and converted into meaningful information to provide the user with personalized advertisements.

2) Personal data is sold to the data brokerage (companies who buy data).

3) Data is used in research and development.

In all three cases, companies are bounded to use personal data within a specific limit. Data misuse occurs when a company uses the personal data of the users beyond its original purpose. Sometimes the data misuse occurs by the mistake of an individual or third-party partners rather than directly from the company.

Data Misuse

Data Misuse is not particularly theft, theft occurs when without permission someone takes the personal data of users. Data misuse occurs when information collected legally is used beyond its state intentions. Data misuse can be done for three major purposes:

Personal Benefits

Commingling

Ambiguity

1) Personal Benefits

It occurs when someone who can access personal user data abuses the power for their own benefit. This sort of data misuse is often done with some malicious intent.

2) Commingling

Commingling happens when a company or organization personally collects data from users and uses the data beyond the stated intents or for a different task. Some of the most common comminglings is sharing the data with their sister companies.

3) Ambiguity

Ambiguity occurs when the companies or organizations fail to clear the intentions of using the user data. Most companies do this when they were not sure about what they are going to do with the user data.

It does not matter if the intentions are simple, companies can be fined millions of dollars for misusing user data. Data misuse cases have gotten more frequent in recent years.

How to avoid your data misuse

People sometimes ignore the fact that their data getting collected and their footprints are getting tracked. Everyone must maintain their digital hygiene. So here are some ways that you can follow to maintain data hygiene,

1) BE SELECTIVE

Don’t trust every website and software blindly, putting trust in the wrong one can be disastrous. Before you agree with the terms and conditions of any specific company, verify their previous records. For example, Facebook recently came into the news that they are misusing data.

You can complain or give feedback to the company about which policy you think is unnecessary, because change will never occur if you remain silent. We as a user have the right to complain and have the way we want it to be. They will take policy-making seriously only when their customers demand it.

2) SEPARATE WORK AND PERSONAL DEVICES

Never use the work laptop or any device for your personal tasks. And never mix data of your workplace with your personal data, it may threaten your data.

3) USE A STRONG PASSWORD

Hackers may use various approaches to crack your password, so make it as strong as possible and never use your name as your password. Change your password on regular basis. In the case of many accounts, don’t use a common password.

4) KEEP YOUR SOFTWARE UP TO DATE

Software owner regularly updates their programs to prevent vulnerabilities. So keep your software updated, it can prevent your sensitive data to get hacked.