What Do Online Privacy Lawyers Do?

History knows many cases when techno giants violated various civil rights of users through their new services and systems.

Learn more about how Google tracks and monitors your data.

For example, in July 2021, three technology companies that created the ReColor coloring app had to pay $3 million in civil fines for violating children’s privacy rights. Among the violators were companies such as KuuHuub Inc., Kuu Huub Oy, and Recolor Oy.

The companies reportedly collected personal information from children under the age of 13 without their parents’ consent, violating the Federal Trade Commission Act (FTC) and the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act of 1998 (COPPA).

As a result of the violation, the companies had to delete all the information they had collected from the children, as well as making sure no third parties retained any of it.

Read the best guide on internet security and privacy for children here.

Nowadays, when data transmission and transactions cross international borders, companies must comply with state, federal, and even international data privacy laws.

That’s where privacy lawyers come in. So what are such online privacy lawyers, what do they do, and how do you become one of them? We will tell you in this article.

What are privacy laws?

Privacy law is a broad and general area of law, most often defined as “a set of laws concerning the collection, storage, and use of personal information in the internet space.”

Each of us provides personal information not only to government agencies but also to various private organizations daily. We do this offline, for example, applying for a driver’s license and online, purchasing in an online store.

However, the government or private organizations that receive our data cannot use it for their own purposes as they please. There are certain data privacy laws that control the collection of data and its further use. In addition, such laws regulate the storage and processing of data to ensure confidentiality.

By the way, privacy laws can apply to the whole country or particular states. The same laws apply to foreign companies operating in the United States, as well.

Recently, Chile has approved a neurotechnology law. You can read more here.

Who are online privacy lawyers?

Privacy lawyers are lawyers who specialize in data privacy issues on the internet. They are engaged in the regulation and control of existing legislation on privacy and data security.

Such lawyers can be classified into several areas of law.

Data Privacy Lawyer: Compliance

A data privacy lawyer can carry out a working practice at any law firm, at their own company, or as an employee of a company. Their competence is necessary for the firm, or company to work according to the existing data privacy law.

Such specialists are responsible for the development of information security policies, protocols, and processes. In addition, they ensure and monitor full compliance with all rules and regulations related to the data privacy laws in their jurisdiction. These include both the laws of a particular state or country and international conventions and rules.

So, almost any privacy policy that can be found on a website, application, service, or platform has been developed by privacy lawyers.

Privacy Lawyer: Litigation

In addition to lawyers who regulate compliance with the rules and laws of confidentiality, each company or entity dealing with online products has a lawyer on its staff who deals with litigation. They get to work the moment a company is sued or sued for violating the privacy law.

Their key role is to provide competent advice in the case of violation of user privacy.

In addition, they are responsible for representing their client’s interests in cross-border litigation.

Of course, it is not necessary to thoroughly know all the nuances of the law because you can always fill the gap in knowledge using the literature on jurisprudence. However, each privacy lawyer should be well versed in different areas related to the right to privacy.

Did you hear about data privacy myths? Read more here.

How to become an online privacy lawyer

Of course, any profession that in one way or another can intersect with IT technologies will only become more and more popular and in demand in coming years. And privacy lawyers are not exception. Therefore, novice lawyers who are just studying law need to take technology-related courses as early as possible. Some of the most lucrative areas of privacy legislation are related to cybersecurity and technology legislation. It would also be great to do a related internship in law school.

For practicing lawyers, the scheme is similar to the previous one. They might take some post-graduate courses related to privacy law, or work for a firm with this specialty.

This approach to training will open up more opportunities for applying to firms specializing in privacy legislation or government agencies and corporations that need privacy lawyers.

Anyway, the area of personal data legislation on the internet is a relatively wide section of the law, which is currently at the formation stage. Since every day, developers come up with various services and applications where the privacy policy differs, and adjustments by specialists are always required.

Conclusion

You’ve probably heard the proverb: “Master the information, master the situation.” This statement is not a single decade old. However, in the 21st century, it is more relevant than ever. Information is a new currency comparable to oil, gas, and gold. It can provide everything necessary for business development in the age of IT technologies.

Such strict compliance with the rules of transmission, storage, and transportation of information, saves companies from having to pay huge fines or spend money on expensive litigation. In addition, such a measure prevents problems for individual legal entities that may knowingly or unconsciously violate existing laws in this area.

In addition, any business working with the information and confidential data of its customers should do everything possible to ensure that users agree to the ways their data is actually used and stored. This is where lawyers play a key role, preparing a completely transparent data privacy policy.

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