Why data privacy is a fundamental human right

In an age where every click, swipe, and search can be tracked, stored and analyzed, data privacy is no longer a luxury but a necessity. From social media profiles to medical records and financial transactions, personal information is constantly collected and processed, often without understanding or consent.

Recognizing data privacy as a fundamental human right isn't just a legal or technical issue, but vital for individual dignity, autonomy, and freedom of expression.

Technologies safeguarding user privacy, such as Fully Homomorphic Encryption (FHE), are crucial for data protection. FHE allows operations such as processing and analysis to be performed on encrypted data without decrypting it first. This prevents unauthorized access to data and maintains data privacy.

Why is data privacy important?

Data privacy is a person's right to control when, how, and how much of their personal identifiable information (PII), such as name, location, contact details, or online behavior, is shared. Just like choosing who to speak to in private, people often want to limit how their data is collected or used. A strong data privacy approach helps prevent discrimination, surveillance, and misuse of information.

Recognized by global treaties like the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, privacy includes the right to keep thoughts, identity, and behaviors confidential, both online and offline, and to decide who accesses personal information.

Much of what internet users do online is tracked, because the greater the volume and detail of the data, the more it is worth -- and the more attractive it is to cyberthieves. Recently, UK retailer Marks & Spencer announced that customer data was stolen in a ransomware attack, which included contact details, household information, online order history, and dates of birth. M&S is still unable to process online orders and manage in-store inventory. M&S reported a £120 million ($161 million) loss for Q1 2025, mainly due to lost sales and downtime, and £700 million in lost market value. The long-term impact on customers is even harder to identify. How much of their personal information and shopping habits might be used by criminals in future phishing and social engineering attacks?

Sleepwalking into privacy risks

Individuals often unknowingly compromise their privacy by sharing more personal information online than necessary, by failing to review and adjust privacy settings, and by neglecting to consider the implications of online activities. Take public 'free' Wi-Fi as an example; it's often not truly free, but offered in exchange for your personal information, and security is often low. When users connect to unsecured public networks, their data (logins, emails, PII) can easily be intercepted by malicious actors through methods like man-in-the-middle attacks. Wi-Fi providers can profit by tracking who you are and monitoring your online activity while connected, pushing targeted ads and so on. This can lead to situations where your data is collected, tracked, and potentially misused without explicit consent; effectively, you are 'sleepwalking' into privacy risks.

But that is changing. People are getting savvier by exerting their right to consent or not to the collection, storage, use and sale of their data. Having one's identity and activities mined and potentially stolen is no longer the inevitable cost of being active online. Furthermore, companies should also recognize that simply because a user has shared a piece of information with a platform, it doesn't mean they have lost any privacy interest in it. This highlights the widening gap between the capabilities of modern privacy technology and the public’s awareness or adoption of basic security habits.

Privacy regulations like GDPR and CCPA are not a magic bullet, but they promote valuable principles like user empowerment. Ignoring data privacy measures invites costly fines, reputational damage and loss of trust, especially after a breach. They prompt organizations to prioritize strong protections like encryption to comply with laws and defend user data effectively.

Privacy in the digital age: where we stand

Despite these challenges, people and organizations have a say in determining what personal data to collect, guided by ethical principles and best practices of data management. Protecting data starts with awareness; individuals should know what information they are giving away, to whom and why.

Organizations and individuals should implement security measures such as MFA and complex passwords, biometric passcodes and be cautious of online interactions. For organizations, looking to implement encryption into their tech stack is one of the most vital tools to ensure the security of a company. It guarantees that, even if there is an attack on servers and computers or even human error, this information will not be readable by third parties. Encryption is one of the first indispensable barriers to preventing safety issues, keeping compliant and building confidence with customers.

Privacy isn't just a fundamental human right, but a responsibility we all share.

Image credit: md3d/depositphotos.com

Dave Currie is CEO of Vaultree.