Data Privacy Day is an international effort held annually on January 28 to create awareness about ‘the importance of respecting privacy', safeguarding data and enabling trust. Millions of people are unaware of and uninformed about how their personal information is being used, collected, or shared in our digital society. Data Privacy Day aims to inspire dialogue and empower individuals and companies to take action.
The theme for this year, “Respecting Privacy, Safeguarding Data and Enabling Trust,” commemorates the 1981 signing of the first legally binding international treaty dealing with privacy and data protection.
Data Privacy Day began in the United States and Canada in January 2008 as an extension of the Data Protection Day celebration in Europe. Data Protection Day commemorates the January 28, 1981, signing Convention 108, the first legally binding international treaty dealing with privacy and data protection. Data Privacy Day is observed annually on January 28.
Data Privacy Day is the signature event in greater privacy awareness and education effort. Year-round, NCSA educates consumers on how they can own their online presence and shows organizations how privacy is good for business. NCSA's privacy awareness campaign is an integral component of STOP. THINK. CONNECT—™ ‒ global online safety, security, and privacy campaign.
Congressional Resolution
On January 27, 2014, the 113th U.S. Congress adopted S. Res. 337, a non-binding resolution expressing support for the designation of January 28 as “National Data Privacy Day.”
The following Noteworthy Fast Facts about Data Privacy Day 2018 were highlighted on the Stay Safe Online website:
- Five hundred ninety-five organizations registered as Data Privacy Day 2018 Champions increased 32% over last year's 450. The individual Champions program grew as well, with 620 supporters in comparison to 213 in 2017 – a 191% increase.
- In 2018, there were 926 stories about Data Privacy Day – representing a growth of 52% compared to 611 stories the prior year.
- The Data Privacy Day hashtags (#PrivacyAware and #DataPrivacyDay) were tweeted 33,527 times in January 2018 – a 32% increase over January 2017.
- #ChatSTC – the hashtag for NCSA's Twitter chats – was tweeted 6,535 times during January 2018 – a 56% increase over January 2017.
- The 2018 Data Privacy Day event was streamed live from LinkedIn's headquarters in San Francisco via YouTube, Periscope, and Facebook Live. The stream has been watched more than 5,500 times on YouTube and Facebook Live. On Periscope, there were more than 6,200 viewers.
Source - Press Release Mayor's Office of Information Technology City of Baltimore City Hall - Room 250 100 N. Holliday St, Baltimore, MD 21202 Date: January 14, 2019