There is a common tension between cybersecurity and privacy in that historically, many security professionals have scoffed at the idea of privacy.
“If you lock it up, privacy doesn’t matter.”
Not true.
All security professionals will tell you that security is never infallible. As smart and talented as they are, there are always those who dedicate their time and intelligence to exploiting vulnerabilities and breaking controls. There is a reason good guys chase bad guys – the bad guys are always in front.
Once your security controls are breached, privacy is where the trouble lies. If you have collected more personal data than you need and kept it longer than you need, then you have created your own privacy / data protection vulnerability. Pay attention to the data you have – get rid of what you don’t need.
“Get rid of data?!”
Yes.
Privacy and security are two sides of the same coin. These professionals need to work together. And the laws of the world are reinforcing that. Security is often a requirement in the new privacy or data protection laws.
Work together. Collaborate. Support each other. A successful personal data management program will not succeed without these two roles connected at the hip.