What is the Difference Between Data Protection and Confidentiality

The main difference between data protection and confidentiality is that data protection secures data from damage, loss, and unauthorized access while confidentiality allows accessing the data only by the authorized users.

Data protection and confidentiality are related to each other and they are used interchangeably. Although most users assume that there is no difference between data protection and confidentiality, this is not so. Data protection helps to safeguard data and maintain confidentiality.

Key Areas Covered

1. What is Data Protection
    – Definition, Functionality
2. What is Confidentiality
      – Definition, Functionality
3. Relationship Between Data Protection and Confidentiality
      – Outline of the Association
4. Difference Between Data Protection and Confidentiality
      – Comparison of Key Differences

Key Terms

Data Protection, Confidentiality

Difference Between Data Protection and Confidentiality - Comparison Summary

What is Data Protection

Data protection is the process of safeguarding important information from corruption, loss, and access by unauthorized parties. A large amount of data is generated daily in a business organization and it is important to take actions to protect them. Data helps to create reports, analytics, development, testing, etc. 

Difference Between Data Protection and Confidentiality

There are two major strategies in data protection. They are data availability and data management. Data availability refers to obtain the data even if there is damage or loss. Data management refers to the process of moving and automating essential data to online and offline storage so that the company can use them when required. In situations such as malware and virus attacks, machine failures, application, and user errors, etc., the organization can use the protected data.

What is Confidentiality

Confidentiality is the process of allowing only authorized users to access sensitive and protected data. In other words, the sensitive information is only disclosed to authorized users. There are five pillars in Information Assurance (IA). One of them is Confidentiality. Furthermore, data protection mechanisms guarantee data confidentiality. We can also consider confidentiality as privacy.

Few steps to ensure confidentiality are as follows.

1. Use an authentication process such as entering the username and password to allow the authorized users to access sensitive information.

2. Use role-based security methods. It is possible to assign data access capabilities to some users such as senior members of the staff.

3. Use access controls. This ensures that the user can perform only the assigned tasks. If the user has permission only to read data, then he cannot write to that file.

4. Biometric verification and security tokens are other techniques.

Relationship Between Data Protection and Confidentiality

  • Data protection ensures data confidentiality.

Difference Between Data Protection and Confidentiality

Definition

Data protection is the process of safeguarding important information from corruption, compromise or loss while confidentiality is the process of taking measures to ensure that the sensitive information is only accessed by authorized parties. Thus, this is the main difference between data protection and confidentiality.

Basis

Data protection safeguards data from unauthorized access, damage or loss whereas confidentiality restricts the parties who can view the data. Hence, this is another difference between data protection and confidentiality.

Conclusion

Data protection and confidentiality are related to each other. The main difference between data protection and confidentiality is that data protection secures data from damage, loss and from unauthorized users while confidentiality allows accessing the data only by the authorized users. In brief, data protection helps to obtain confidentiality.

Reference:

1.“What Is Data Protection? – Definition from WhatIs.com.” SearchDataBackup, Available here.
2.“What Is Confidentiality? – Definition from Techopedia.” Techopedia.com, Available here.
3.“What Is Confidentiality, Integrity, and Availability (CIA Triad)? – Definition from WhatIs.com.” WhatIs.com, Available here.

Image Courtesy:

1.”3178218″ (Pixabay License) via pixabay

About the Author: Lithmee

Lithmee holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Systems Engineering and is reading for her Master’s degree in Computer Science. She is passionate about sharing her knowldge in the areas of programming, data science, and computer systems.

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