What is data privacy?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Data privacy refers to protecting individuals\u2019 personal information<\/a> from unauthorized use and access. It encompasses people’s rights to control how their personal data gets used. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Some data counts as sensitive information and are subject to more strict guidelines. This includes health information and details about ethnicity and beliefs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Businesses use personal data to: <\/p>\n\n\n\n But this information belongs to and comes from consumers. Businesses must handle traditional and sensitive data responsibly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n What laws impact data privacy?<\/p>\n\n\n\n According to UNCTAD<\/a>, data protection and privacy laws protect 71% of the world\u2019s countries. <\/p>\n\n\n\n This includes the following laws: <\/p>\n\n\n\n Sometimes, a data protection act has a money and data collection threshold, like the CCPA. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Others apply based on where your users come from and the location of your business. For example, this is the case with the GDPR and CalOPPA.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Product managers should know if a data protection regulation impacts their business. This way, they can ensure they meet each privacy rule for all projects. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Product managers work in every part of a project\u2019s life cycle. It\u2019s important to build data privacy best practices into each stage. This helps your company follow data privacy laws. It also helps you foster a relationship of trust with your customers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Additionally, it allows you to prevent cybersecurity issues. For example, data breaches can lead to consumer identity theft and other issues. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Most businesses fall under the legal threshold of one or more data privacy laws. It depends on the business location and where customers come from. <\/p>\n\n\n\n These laws require businesses to meet specific obligations, such as:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Failure to follow a data privacy law, even by mistake, can lead to significant fines. This is especially true if you process sensitive data. For example:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Data protection authorities could even force the business to stop all processing activities. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The modern consumer also cares about their privacy, especially online. Before buying a product, they look for privacy policies and consent banners on sites. Just take a look at these data privacy statistics<\/a>: <\/p>\n\n\n\n Think of it this way \u2014 would you give details about yourself to a website without a privacy policy? <\/em> <\/p>\n\n\n\n Providing users with this information reassures them that you respect their personal data. It also lets them know you’re prepared to protect it if they share it with you. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Product managers don’t usually create privacy documents or maintain consent management platforms. But, they are responsible for letting the right team know about the personal data a product uses. This helps ensure compliance and keeps everyone on the same page. <\/p>\n\n\n\n As a product manager, you know the ins and outs of everything your business produces better than most. You know why each piece of data is necessary, how it gets used, and how long you need to keep the information. <\/p>\n\n\n\n This knowledge puts you in a position to: <\/p>\n\n\n\n You can also determine the safety measures you must use to keep personal data safe. Cyber threats include unauthorized access, breaches, and other attacks. For example: <\/p>\n\n\n\n Prioritizing data privacy is a team effort, and every member of your organization has a role to fill.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Anyone can click on a bad link or download a corrupt file. Training your entire team is the best line of defense. <\/p>\n\n\n\n For example:<\/p>\n\n\n\n It\u2019s not neccessarily a product manager\u2019s job to train everyone on these topics. But they can still ensure everyone is aware of and up to date on the company\u2019s data protection and cybersecurity policies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Try services like Drata<\/a>. It keeps your employees engaged in data and cybersecurity best practices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Let\u2019s walk through data privacy best practices product managers can follow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Privacy by design is a concept. It encourages businesses to include data protection and privacy practices in all stages. Product managers should use this process to build data privacy in their projects. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Some of the key principles of privacy by design include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n Product managers should also consider using a cloud workload protection platform (CWPP). A CWPP<\/a> offers security for workloads across various cloud environments. This ensures that data is protected whether it is at rest or in transit. They offer robust security such as encryption, identity management, and real-time threat detection. This is important for maintaining data privacy in cloud-based applications.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Product managers play a key role in ensuring privacy policies are up-to-date<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Businesses under privacy laws must give consumers a privacy notification explaining: <\/p>\n\n\n\n Have this information for each project you oversee. Ensure it ends up in your company privacy policy. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Product managers can also help notify users about changes to the privacy policy. It\u2019s normal to update your privacy policy. You should do so whenever your data collection practices change. Make sure you let users know that the policy has been updated. <\/p>\n\n\n\n For example, add a \u201clast updated\u201d date to your policy. You can also send an email saying the policy has changed. List what\u2019s changed in the email. Let the users know where they can find your new policy on your website. This way, they can read it at their own pace. They can then choose if they still agree to it or not. <\/p>\n\n\n\n See an example of this type of email in the screenshot below from the software developer OpenAI<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n OpenAI was clear about what changed in their policy. They gave an effective date, so users know when the changes took place. They also used the subject line \u201cUpdate to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.\u201d This way, users knew exactly what the email was about. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Follow OpenAI\u2019s example when making your own privacy policy update email. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Maintaining an archive of past versions of your company\u2019s privacy policy is also a good idea. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Privacy laws give users the right to opt into or out of certain types of data processing. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Product managers can help identify when it\u2019s necessary to <\/a>use a tool like a cookie consent manager.<\/a> This way, you can request consent for specific purposes. <\/p>\n\n\n\n For example, you might work for a company subject to a privacy law like the GDPR or the CCPA. Your website might deploy internet cookies that collect information from users. You might then share that information with external vendors. In this case, you’d need a consent banner on your site. Your users have the right to opt into or out of having their data sold or shared with third parties. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Your project might collect sensitive data from users to function. In this case, you also need consent. This is because privacy laws give people the right to limit the use of sensitive information.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sensitive information is a type of vulnerable personal data and includes details like: <\/p>\n\n\n\n Determine if consent collection is necessary for each project to meet privacy laws. You can do this by asking yourself the following simple questions:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Your answers will help determine if your consent banner needs an:<\/p>\n\n\n\n This is a necessary step. Otherwise, you might get fined by data protection authorities. For example, these include the European Commission or the California Privacy Protection Agency. <\/p>\n\n\n\n A product manager needs to keep track of the types of personal information your products use. This way, you’ll know what level of data security is necessary to protect that information. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Common data security techniques include: <\/p>\n\n\n\n As a product manager, you play a significant role in protecting data privacy. You know what data is necessary to develop different products and services. <\/p>\n\n\n\n You can also incorporate privacy best practices into all project lifecycles. This helps ensure personal data protection at all stages. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Prioritizing data privacy helps your projects follow data privacy laws. This makes it easier to follow laws like the General Data Protection Regulation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It also proves to customers that they can trust you with their personal information.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" This post will help product managers learn about data protection and privacy. It’s essential for building great products.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":41,"featured_media":6367,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"content-type":"","_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[840,827,816,820,828,821,822,832,831,834,833,817,824,829,830,15,10,835,825,826,19,836,837,838,823,839],"class_list":["post-6275","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-product-management","tag-consent","tag-cybersecurity","tag-data-privacy","tag-data-protection","tag-data-security","tag-gdpr","tag-general-data-protection-regulation","tag-law","tag-laws","tag-malware","tag-phishing","tag-privacy","tag-privacy-act","tag-privacy-law","tag-privacy-laws","tag-product-management","tag-product-manager","tag-ransomware","tag-regulation","tag-regulations","tag-security","tag-spyware","tag-trojan","tag-trojans","tag-unctad","tag-virus"],"aioseo_notices":[],"yoast_head":"\n\n
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Why is data privacy important for product managers?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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The product manager\u2019s role in ensuring products follow data privacy laws<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Data privacy best practices for product managers<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Product development and privacy by design<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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Use a cloud workload protection platform<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Notification requirements<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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![\"OpenAI](\"https:\/\/canny.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/image.png\")
<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\nObtaining consent from consumers<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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Effective data security measures<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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Conclusion: product managers and protection of data privacy<\/h2>\n\n\n\n