Considered the most comprehensive data privacy law in effect, the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) extends to all businesses (including businesses that operate outside of Europe) that offer goods and services to European residents and collect personal data in the process.
The GDPR specifically requires the use of data protection methods to safeguard private data. Data Masking is one of the most widely used and recognized solutions that is recognized by the privacy law. Data masking allows organizations to maintain the convenience of using their customers' data while removing any real identifiers. Using data masking, the data can be de-identified, so that personal information remains anonymous in the context of support, analytics, testing, or outsourcing.
Article 3, which refers to the processing of data
Article 4, which defines the parameters of de-identification
Article 5, which refers to the retention of data
Article 11, which addresses processing that does not require identification
Article 17, which refers to the deletion of data
Article 24, which refers to the responsibility of the controller
Article 25, which refers to reasonable measures to protect consumer data, by default and by design
Article 32, which deals with the security of processing
Article 34, which refers to protection measures to mitigate data breaches
Article 40, which refers to the codes of conduct of pseudonymization
Learn more about privacy laws here.
If you have a large enterprise, chances are you have divisions in other countries as well, making your business liable for non-compliance with the privacy laws of that region. By incorporating data discovery and data masking as part of your development life cycle, you ensure that data is protected from the get-go. Whether you aim to maintain compliance, reduce the risk of data breaches and internal threats or limit the access to sensitive data, using data masking from the start ensures you're always covered.