What’s the most important thing about the UPSC data protection bill? The answer may surprise you.
Data protection bill UPSC has been put forward in the Parliament of India to curb data theft and misuse. In light of recent security breaches, the government believes that data privacy laws should be up to date to meet the changing times.
1) It will put an end to data breach incidents.
2) It will ensure consumer protection from data thieves.
3) It will increase transparency in dealings between companies and their customers.
4) It will safeguard customer privacy.
5) It will protect the rights of individuals.
How can you protect your data from theft and misuse?
In the absence of a data protection bill, all you can do is take preventive measures to protect your data from thieves and scammers. Here are some ways that you can protect yourself from identity theft:
Keep everything secure
1) Keep everything secure on your device. Use strong passwords for all online accounts, including email and social media accounts. When signing up for an account, use a different password than what you normally use for other accounts. Also, make sure that you’re using secure connections like HTTPS when browsing online and downloading files from websites.
Never click on links sent by strangers
2) Never click on links sent by strangers or suspicious websites and do not open attachments found in unsolicited emails. If you have received an email that looks like it is from a legitimate company but you aren’t sure, call their customer service number or check their official website to see if they have sent you something.
Never share sensitive information
3) Never share sensitive information such as your bank account details, passwords or social security number with anyone over email or phone unless you initiated the conversation yourself. If someone calls claiming to be from your bank or any other organization that deals with your financial information and asks for personal details like passwords or PINs, hang up immediately and contact the company directly to confirm if they actually called you or not.
Keep your software and operating system up to date
4) Always use the latest versions of software for your devices and make sure that you have all the security patches installed.
Make regular backups
5) Make regular backups of your data. Backing up your data is a good way to protect it against data loss. Even if your device gets stolen or damaged, you can recover your data from the backup without much hassle.
Stolen gadgets
6) For stolen devices: report them immediately to the police. And to the service provider of the device or any other service that you use on your lost device. Keep a copy of the police report in case you need to prove that the device was stolen later on by someone else.
Contact your bank and other financial institutions immediately
7) If you are a victim of identity theft, contact your bank and other financial institutions immediately. And block all credit cards and accounts. So that the thieves cannot use them for fraud anymore.
Further, contact all three credit bureaus (Equifax, Experian and TransUnion), as well as any other organization that you have given personal information to recently such as utility companies, insurance companies, phone carriers etc., and let them know that someone has been using your personal information without your consent.
Ask them to place a fraud alert on your account so that they flag any suspicious activities right away.
Keep an eye out for unauthorized charges
8) Keep an eye out for unauthorized charges on credit card statements or bank accounts, especially if you don’t remember buying anything recently or making an online transaction. Never ignore these charges thinking they are probably a mistake because they could be signs of identity theft.
It is also crucial to report these charges immediately to the bank or card issuer. So they can block access to the account before they add more charges.
Conclusion
A data protection bill will be a huge step forward in the fight against data theft and misuse, but it won’t replace the need to take your own precautions to protect your data. So keep these tips in mind when using your devices and you won’t have to worry about your data being stolen or misused.