Data privacy will be a major topic for every startup, organization, and corporate in the next year. In this article, we will outline the key trends that will shape data privacy in 2022 and explain how businesses can reap the benefits of these trends. Let’s take a look at the expected trends and how your business can leverage them for growth.

Looking back at 2021

It's been a big year for data privacy in 2021. With Google phasing out of third-party cookies, and Apple giving iPhone users the choice if they want to allow apps to track them for targeted ads, consumers are gaining more and more control over their personal data. 

And it’s only the beginning, as the data privacy rights movement is growing among consumers. This year we’ve seen how consumer activism comes into effect in the real world: The investigation into Amazon, which led to a record-breaking penalty of $887 Million, was based on a 2018 complaint by “La Quadrature du Net”, a French privacy group that claims to represent thousands of people. 

This past year also marked the three year anniversary of the GDPR going into effect, a game-changing moment that defined users’ data as a personal asset that people have ownership and rights to. Since then, many more privacy regulations emerged around the world, and completely changed the future of the internet — seemingly for forever.

Taking all that into account, let’s see the top data privacy trends (and how to leverage them) for 2022.

Trend #1: Consumers will demand more control over their data

This trend isn’t going anywhere. Individuals are increasingly aware of the need to protect their data, and in 2022 we’re going to see demand for reasonable data privacy practices from the public. Even if no law protects them, consumers will choose to use the services of companies that are transparent and responsive regarding their personal data.

<hl>How can you use this trend to your business advantage?<hl>

Make it easy for your customers to access or delete their data, even if no regulation requires you to do so. In other words: Simply honor your users’ requests, it will increase your brand trust and loyalty. 

Your user experience and brand reputation go beyond compliance, as consumers are looking for companies who they feel they can trust and are doing the right thing. They may ask for data access or data erasure from time to time, and it’s fine. 

You don’t need to spend time researching your regulative and legal status across different countries around the world. 

Trend #2: Providing on-going value will become more important than ever before

The number of data breaches in 2021 has surpassed 2020’s total, and next year there will be even more. Consumers know that they leave behind hundreds of digital traces, bits of information about them that are stored and collected. These digital traces can be used against them (in case of a data breach or other incidents), leaving them to pay a price way higher than what they initially signed up for. 

For example, personalized products. 93% of marketers believe that personalization is the way forward. It will pave the way for change, with companies providing more personalized services to their customers. However, personalization comes with more data collection, and it may not be worth it for the end-user.

That’s why there’s a growing trend of thinking: “Is it worth it for me?”, or in other words: “Is the value that I’m getting worth the risk of a data leak?”. In 2022, this value-based internet will continue to evolve, as more people will be willing to share their personal information for goods and services if they know it is protected — and if the value they receive is worth the risk.

<hl>How can you use this trend to your business advantage?<hl>

You can earn your consumers’ trust by collecting the bare minimum data necessary, justifying any piece of information that needs to be collected, and making sure that your data minimization and retention policies still make sense in 2022. Convey exactly how they’ll benefit from giving you their data and why you must collect it to run your service.

Trend #3: The timeframe for addressing privacy requests will be tighter.

The time limits for handling privacy requests differ per law, but in 2022, the timeliness of your response will be measured by public perception - not only from a compliance perspective.

We’re seeing over and over again the amount of complaints on Twitter by customers who are waiting for a response. It's clear to see how this causes public frustration with users. There’s nothing more frustrating than submitting a data privacy request and waiting entire months just to get noticed. 

<hl>How can you use this trend to your business advantage?<hl>

Having a centralized PrivacyOps platform with automations that help you handle users' requests in no time is essential. Pick the right platform and get peace of mind knowing all incoming requests are handled automatically and fast. 

Trend #4: Privacy-as-a-service solutions are on the rise

Many people don’t know how to approach companies to exercise their privacy rights - they don’t know how to file a GDPR request or what address they should send it to. This is why many tools have emerged to help people in protecting their personal data with AI. 

And the same goes for companies: privacy platforms are now a key factor in your business growth and success, as they’ll allow you to handle data privacy requests at scale. These privacy platforms have evolved to take care of the entire fulfillment process automatically, without human touch (and risk of human errors). In some cases, these platforms may also be configured with no-code solutions. 

<hl>How can you use this trend to your business advantage?<hl>

This one is easy - if you don't have a PaaS in place yet this might be the time to start looking for one.

Trend #5: Digital footprints are everywhere

For both companies and individuals, the digital footprint is growing larger and larger. Companies that don’t keep track of where they store users’ personal data will have a hard time mapping everything in the future. As the amount of data breaches continue to make headlines, 2022 it will be crucial for both individuals and companies to be looking at keeping a lean digital footprint.

<hl>How can you use this trend to your business advantage?<hl>

When was the last time you mapped all the data sources in your company? if it was longer than 1 year ago, you're putting your company at unnecessary risks.

Luckily, today there are solutions that replace the endless interviews with your teams with an automatic and seamless process. It works by scanning the services that the company’s employees have signed up for and gave the users’ data to, which gives you an accurate image of your company’s digital footprint.

More than compliance

The "right to be forgotten" will become an international standard in 2022. 

Businesses that don't take steps to protect customer data could face serious consequences such as lawsuits and fines from government agencies like the FTC or FCC. But more importantly - businesses face the criticism of the public, which may hurt the most.

Data breaches will continue to happen, but we'll see a shift in how companies respond, and how they treat consumers’ personal data in the first place.