Build Your Privacy Program: Internal Safeguards

Technology is often the first thing that people think about when safeguarding personal information. Although the processes and policies discussed in other documents of this series are critical for a successful program, technology is also a vital tool. Technology provides you with a mechanism to codify these policies and processes, to efficiently enforce compliance, and to detect noncompliance. Document your control safeguards and check that they are serving their intended purposes. Protect your data with technologies like encryption whenever it resides electronically — and physically protect the data with barriers and access control on-site. Ensuring data privacy is not a static process, though; review your safeguards and make sure that they are still effective and appropriate.