Halyna Vasylevska is a technology lawyer with experience building and managing privacy programs and products for organizations operating in 30 countries around the world. She’s an interesting character with a story to tell; and we are trying to learn a part of that story…
Can you shortly introduce yourself?
I’m a technology lawyer with experience building and managing privacy programs and products for organizations operating in 30 countries globally and assisting regulators in 2 countries with national data protection strategies. In my background, I used to work with leading health tech and fintech companies internationally and helped them with compliance strategies, inquiries from regulators and data subjects, and provided product development inputs. Currently, I’m focused on privacy matters in product development and data-driven products.
What do you see as the main challenges for our privacy today?
Technologies are a critical component of our everyday life. At the same time, the average user is not properly educated about their data subject rights and potential threads privacy breaches may impose. It’s also evident that regulation in some countries is not able to address modern technology risks and, therefore, lacks proper enforcement.
What can we as individuals do about it?
Learn more about how, why, and when their data is used and what kind of risks this usage may impose. Basic data hygiene and attention to banners, privacy policies, and disclosures can prevent the majority of incidents. I also think that organizations should pay more attention to privacy matters and train their employees to maintain workplace privacy and security.
Can VPNs help? Do you use one?
VPNs are an easy and convenient option to prevent unwanted interference and mitigate privacy risks. I use one and recommend the usage of secure options as a part of the privacy program.
What do you do to protect your personal information?
I’m following the same simple rules both personally and professionally: usage of strong passwords and regular passwords update; two-factor authentication; blocking of advertising cookies and attention to privacy statements to each new app I’m using; never give your data to shady websites and avoid downloading any files from untrusted resources. There are plenty of useful resources and tools available to make these steps simple and efficient.
Do you have some other advice for our readers so they could, at least partially, regain their privacy?
I do believe that privacy is a growing trend in the tech world and users should move in the same direction too. Some simple steps for regular users:
- Data minimization – provide only information directly connected to service.
- Check your privacy settings – delete previously placed cookies in your browser settings and block advertising cookies.
- Refrain from the usage of untrusted sources and shady tracking technologies.
Remember that your privacy is your right and simple steps can make a significant difference moving forward.