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Protecting data privacy - the challenge of the century

How well is your data protected? In the modern world, where everything is interconnected, this issue worries both large companies and ordinary users. It is to him that Data Privacy Day is dedicated, an international initiative that is supported in 47 countries participating in the Council of Europe, as well as in the USA, Canada and Israel. Its goal is to increase people's awareness of how their personal information is used and how to protect themselves from leakage. Participants in the events offer ways to enhance online privacy, and also discuss the possibility of innovations at the legislative level. Software and hardware developers, in turn, present new solutions and projects.

Personal Data Protection Day is celebrated on January 28, starting in 2006. The date is timed to the signing of the Council of Europe Convention of January 28, 1981 on the Protection of Persons in Connection with the Automated Processing of Personal Data. This document for the first time defined international obligations to protect private information and privacy rights.

To date, more than 50 countries have signed the Convention, but the problem has not yet been resolved. Until now, millions of people do not know how their data is collected, stored and used by commercial companies and government agencies and how they become the target of the extraction of cybercriminals.



Whenever we spend time on the Internet, we share personal information that scammers can use. Users need to arm themselves with knowledge in order to take appropriate precautions. Among them - backup using strong encryption or secure cloud services.

According to statistics, about 70% of all cybercrimes in the world are related to identity theft. This can happen due to the theft of a password or even the computer itself and lead to the fact that criminals get their hands on confidential corporate information. Every two seconds, a new hacking and identity theft incident occurs in the world.

To help users protect themselves, the National Cyber ​​Security Alliance (NCSA) has created a single portal to control privacy settings. It contains links to popular e-commerce sites, postal and mobile services, search engines and social networks. Given that each of these many resources collects information about users, they are advised to check and establish an appropriate level of privacy.

Manufacturers are also actively working to protect their devices. For example, they offer multi-component and multi-factor authentication systems that work both together and separately. One of the most reliable options are smart cards for laptops.

Privacy + Security


Privacy settings are of great importance, but they alone are not enough: it is important to make every effort to preserve data. If privacy concerns the human rights to manage his personal information, then security is a combination of protection methods. It starts with software that should be updated regularly, because new threats appear every day, and software manufacturers release updates to eliminate them.

However, hardware security features play a key role in data security. They must be laid in the product architecture from the very beginning of development (Security by Design).

Device-level security begins with robust design solutions that protect users. Each component and the source of its supply must be checked: this alone guarantees the absence of “built-in” threats. Criminals are increasingly targeting supply chains to inject vulnerabilities into devices during production and transportation.



One example of security hardware is the ThinkShutter , which closes the laptop’s camera. This simple solution, introduced by Lenovo last year, prevents hackers from using the camera to spy on you.


The Lenovo ThinkShutter camera shutter gives the laptop user the opportunity to decide for himself whether someone will see him.

Although there are hackers who use online cameras to monitor people and to assess their home environment, they often have a different goal - to see if you are using a computer at the moment. This is done in order to run a series of hacking scripts that will be visible on the screen.

Behind a security shield


Lenovo was the first to create several important security solutions. These include a fingerprint scanner, which is now a key component of biometric verification, as well as the first TPM (Trusted Platform Module) chip - a dedicated microcontroller that protects hardware with built-in cryptographic keys.
Today, the company continues to improve its products to prevent unauthorized access to personal information. So, Lenovo has created for its corporate customers a comprehensive ThinkShield security platform that provides basic privacy, authentication, data protection and network vulnerability detection.

The solution includes a whole range of tools:

  • ThinkPad Privacy Guard , .
  • Match-on-Chip FPR, .
  • Smart USB BIOS - USB , «» , — .
  • Lenovo WiFi Security , : .
  • ThinkShield Buffer Zone , , .
  • Absolute Persistence - , , .

All ThinkShield systems support FIDO, the secure authentication standard offered by Microsoft Hello Windows, as well as Intel Authenticate. Certification of systems for compliance with FIDO requirements means that they use a secure way to register in the cloud and protect transactions with fingerprints.

An integrated security system covers the entire PC life cycle, from the development of BIOS and firmware in the supply chain to commissioning.

Problems and Solutions


Companies and government organizations use a range of modern technologies, from website cookies to sensors embedded in machines, as well as devices for collecting unprecedented amounts of data about their customers, citizens, and employees. Their tasks include assessing moods and preferences, forecasting needs, increasing labor productivity, detecting fraud, tracking location, monitoring health, and monitoring security.

Most of this data is collected for good purposes. However, no one can answer one of the most pressing questions: where is the border? People want to be aware of how personal information is processed and stored and how secure their confidentiality is. Are the “right to oblivion” and many other international, state, and local safety rules respected?

According to experts, companies should take measures to build confidence, explain to customers why they collect certain information, how they intend to use it, what benefits the other party can get, and, of course, how all this data will be protected.

Ensuring security is a challenge for any company, especially with the development of cloud environments. Start-ups are emerging that promise to transform how data is protected and managed, technology providers and consulting firms are creating their own platforms and techniques. Today, privacy has become an industry.

And Personal Data Protection Day is an occasion to once again think about ways to solve the problem. Currently, about 80 states support the initiative of the Council of Europe on the protection of personal information, and the practice of correctly processing it is used in the largest world organizations, including the UN.

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