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July 04, 2019 general

Independence Day 2019: Declaring Data Independence

Data independence concept Fireworks and independence celebration

Happy Fourth of July! For the third year running, we're marking Independence Day with a digital declaration. This year: data independence. Taking control of your personal and business data from the companies and brokers that profit from it.

The State of Your Data

Right now, your personal data exists in hundreds of databases you've never heard of. Data brokers like Spokeo, WhitePages, BeenVerified, and Intelius compile your name, address, phone number, email, age, relatives, property records, and more into profiles that anyone can buy for a few dollars.

Your online activity is tracked across websites by advertising networks. Your location is logged by your phone. Your purchasing habits are analyzed by retailers. Your social connections are mapped by social media platforms.

For a business owner, this extends to your practice: your revenue estimates, employee counts, and technology stack are cataloged by business data aggregators and sold to marketing companies.

Your Data Independence Checklist

Personal

  1. Opt out of data brokers. Visit the opt-out pages for the major brokers: Spokeo, WhitePages, BeenVerified, Intelius, PeopleFinder. It's tedious but effective. Services like DeleteMe ($129/year) automate this process.
  2. Review app permissions. Check what apps have access to your location, contacts, camera, and microphone. Revoke permissions for anything unnecessary.
  3. Audit social media privacy settings. Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, and Twitter all have privacy settings that most people never configure. Spend 15 minutes on each platform.
  4. Use a privacy-focused browser. Firefox with Enhanced Tracking Protection, or Brave. Both block third-party trackers by default.
  5. Review Google's data about you. Visit myactivity.google.com and review (then delete) your search history, location history, and YouTube history.

Business

  1. Review your vendor agreements. What data do your vendors collect about your practice? What do they do with it? If the answer is "I don't know," find out.
  2. Minimize data collection from patients. Do your intake forms collect more information than necessary? Remove fields that don't serve a clinical or billing purpose.
  3. Review your website analytics. What data does your website collect from visitors? Consider privacy-friendly alternatives like Plausible or Fathom instead of Google Analytics.
  4. Update your Notice of Privacy Practices. Make sure it accurately reflects your current data practices.

The CCPA Is Coming

California's Consumer Privacy Act takes effect January 1, 2020. While it primarily affects businesses operating in California, it's the beginning of a national trend. Practices that adopt privacy-forward practices now will be ahead of the curve.

Data independence isn't automatic. It requires deliberate action. This Fourth of July, take one step toward controlling your data. You might be surprised by what you find.