From Better Business Bureau

Better Business Bureau serving eastern North Carolina is partnering with BBBs across the country and the National Cyber Security Alliance (NCSA) on Jan. 28, Data Privacy Day, to educate both businesses and consumers on how to protect themselves from cyber criminals.

Data breaches can happen at businesses of any size and have made consumers more aware of the importance of having their information protected by the companies and organizations with which they do business.

Businesses need to only collect necessary information and to make sure they have safeguards in place to protect customer data. Businesses protecting customers’ privacy is one of the eight BBB Standards for Trust and something that they should be held accountable for.

Businesses should strive to have a strict privacy policy and consumers should be sure to only do business with a company that has one:

 

Elements that make up a solid privacy policy include:

• Options customers have about how/whether their data is collected and used.
• An explanation of how a customer can access data that has been collected and, if necessary, be able to change the information.
• A description of how collected data is stored and protected.
• An explanation of what a customer can do if the privacy policy is not met.
• Information on how policy changes are communicated.

For more information on data privacy, go to go.bbb.org/1IR4WRI.

 

About BBB serving eastern North Carolina

Better Business Bureau serving eastern North Carolina is a 501(c)(6) not-for-profit corporation serving 33 counties in eastern North Carolina. The organization is funded primarily by BBB Accredited Business fees from more than 3,000 local businesses and professional firms. BBB promotes integrity, consumer confidence and business ethics through business self-regulation in the local marketplace. Services provided by BBB include reports on companies and charitable organizations, general monitoring of advertising in the marketplace, consumer/business education programs and dispute resolution services. All services are provided at no cost to the public, with the occasional exception of mediation and arbitration. Visit bbb.org.