Data privacy awareness is a small aspect of the overall privacy journey for most companies. But it is a crucial part – as it helps to define the overall privacy culture in an organization. A data privacy awareness program will help to educate employees about the importance of protecting personal data; and the consequences of not doing so.
According to a study, 80% of respondents are aware of their organization’s privacy policies. But only 40% agree that they fully understand what it means to follow those policies. This leaves 60% who may need additional training or guidance.
How to Spread Data Privacy Awareness
It is important to note that data privacy awareness training can be provided in several ways – including face-to-face training, online resources, or even digital signage.
Let us discuss each of these in detail below:
Face-to-face training:
In-person training is the most effective way of communicating with employees. It allows organizations to train staff members on the company-specific privacy policies. And also gives them the opportunity to answer any questions that may arise.
Representatives from IT, legal, HR, and other departments can all be involved in a face-to-face training session, to ensure that everyone is on the same page.
Online resources:
Online resources provide employees with a convenient and cost-effective way to receive data privacy awareness training. Moreover, online training material can be tailored to suit specific business needs; or can be useful as a supplement to existing face-to-face training.
Online communities:
Also, online communities allow companies to tap into an existing community of people who are interested in data privacy. Forums, blogs, and other relevant online communities can prove to be a useful resource for employees looking to learn more about data privacy and how it relates to their role.
Online video resources:
Video resources provide employees with an alternative way of receiving training – all they need is an internet connection, and they can access the videos at any time of day or night. This is particularly convenient for employees who have busy schedules or who work remotely.
Data Privacy Awareness vs Data Privacy Training
As you may have noticed, we have used both terms in this article. So how are they different?
Data privacy awareness refers to a company’s efforts to educate its employees about the importance of protecting data. Awareness is similar to cyber security awareness, which is used by many companies as part of an overall cyber security strategy.
Data Privacy Training on the other hand refers more specifically to the efforts made by companies to teach their employees how to follow the organization’s specific privacy policies. Moreover, data privacy training falls within the broader category of compliance training, which refers to any kind of training that helps employees understand and adhere to specific legal requirements or industry standards.
In addition, data protection laws usually require companies to carry out regular training for their staff members – but some laws (like GDPR) will require them to conduct ongoing data privacy awareness sessions every year instead.
