Data privacy and privacy engineering

Abstract

Due to the Covid-19 Pandemic outbreaks, many organizations have transformed their business processes from conventional ways to digital platforms and approach for better and efficient communication and information systems. Subsequently, organizations that primarily use information systems when performing business processes will deal with numerous Personal Identifiable Information (PII) provided by clients. Moreover, today, most individuals use IT products and services in which their PII are being collected and further processed. Due to that, PII must always be protected to avoid privacy risks and abused. However, concerns on data privacy among public is still low due to lack of understanding and knowledge on data privacy implication to ones’ safety and security. Apart from that, software engineers or system owners faced several difficulties to determine the proper tools to be used in order to protect PII. This is related to the lack of awareness on Privacy Enhancing Technologies (PETs). This research attempts to close the gap of understanding on privacy data and introduce the discipline of Privacy Engineering. This research highlights relevant and important facts for public awareness and concern and provides a summary of PETs for software engineers and system owners. Method used to achieve the first objective is by conducting literature review to identify the relevant and reliable references about data privacy. Another method used is by studying and listing out available PETs’ tools and approaches to facilitate software engineers in determining proper PETs to be applied. Collections and categorizations of description and summary of a data privacy elements for public understanding is the result produced by the first method. The second method produced a compilation and summary of PETs’ available tools and techniques and an explanation on PETs adoption guide that can be applied by software engineers. This piece of research work may help public to understand on the importance of having a good protection of their PII and helps software engineers and system owners to be aware of proper tools to be used to enhance the protection of PII in their systems.