Data privacy laws are different all across the world. What data you utilize in California may be controversial in South Korea. This is where #dataresidency comes into play.
What is data residency, and how does it relate to #datasovereignty?
→ To put it simply, it is the geographical location in which you store your data.
→ The specific laws and regulations that apply in relation to the region’s customs and expectations, is considered data sovereignty.
“The geographical location of a business’ data stored outside its origin. Once the data is moved to this different location, it is subject to data privacy laws and customs of the area in which it is stored.”
To navigate the complexities of data residency compliance, users must do an in-depth data audit to understand:
- The type of data they host.
- The location where you move and store that data.
- Making sure the data is compliant with the strict data residency guidelines of the location where it is stored.
Data Privacy plays a critical role in data residency, as different countries have specific regulations an organization must follow in order to store their data there.
For example, the government of Canada enacted the Privacy Act in 1983 – which protects your privacy rights to data with the federal government. It applies to how the government collects, uses, and discloses your personal information, and gives you the right to access your personal information held by the government. This also applies to private sector organizations to ensure that all Canadian citizens are protected in their privacy.
Choose your locations wisely, as there could be many implications in housing data in unknown or unstable locations, that could result in disastrous data breaches. Some implications to consider include:
- Some laws of certain countries may not provide proper protection of data.
- If the data is located in an area that has complicated access laws, you could permanently lose your data if your business goes under.
- Depending on the political or economic climate of the country, you could lose your data in areas that are experiencing high-stress or unstable governments.