Information Privacy

Definition - What does Information Privacy mean?

Information privacy is the privacy of personal information and usually relates to personal data stored on computer systems.

The need to maintain information privacy is applicable to collected personal information, such as medical records, financial data, criminal records, political records, business related information or website data.

Information privacy is also known as data privacy.

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Techopedia explains Information Privacy

Information privacy is considered an important aspect of information sharing. With the advancement of the digital age, personal information vulnerabilities have increased.

Information privacy may be applied in numerous ways, including encryption, authentication and data masking - each attempting to ensure that information is available only to those with authorized access. These protective measures are geared toward preventing data mining and the unauthorized use of personal information, which are illegal in many parts of the world.

Information privacy relates to different data types, including:

Internet privacy (online privacy): All personal data shared over the Internet is subject to privacy issues. Most websites publish a privacy policy that details the website's intended use of collected online and/or offline collected data.
Financial privacy: Financial information is particularly sensitive, as it may easily used to commit online and/or offline fraud.
Medical privacy: All medical records are subject to stringent laws that address user access privileges. By law, security and authentication systems are often required for individuals that process and store medical records.