
03 Nov 2017
One Mission: Data Security and Privacy
IAPP PSR 2017 Attendees Prove Data Must Be Secure to Be Private
Last year, GlobalSign attended the International Association of Privacy Professionals (IAPP) Privacy Security Risk (PSR) conference for the first time. After the event, I wrote this blog post about how security and privacy professionals were forging closer relationships as they both strive to keep data secure and private: Security and Privacy Professionals Joining Forces.
Earlier this month, we were back at IAPP PSR for a second year in a row. What we quickly learned is that the relationships between security and privacy professionals are getting even tighter and stronger. Driving that is a perfect storm of continued “sensational” data breaches and new and existing privacy regulations. Grabbing all the headlines at this year’s event was the Equifax breach and how everyone is trying to figure out the European Union’s (EU) General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) that goes into effect in May 2018.
In conversations at the event, we quickly understood that organizations wanting to ensure data privacy must also have the proper security in place. Privacy professionals told us they are investigating security solutions for their security teams. And, IT security professionals were looking at more security measures to ensure privacy. Even a conversation with a corporate counsel got very technical around SSL/TLS Certificates and how they can practice better web security.
Why? Nobody wants to be Equifax.
Not only was the Equifax breach one of the highest profile security incidents ever, it exposed almost 150 million customer records including sensitive personal and payment information. This is why privacy and security teams are bonding. Exposure of this kind of data can be a death sentence for a lot of companies – negatively impacting reputations and financials. GDPR in the EU is aimed at stopping this type of activity and also the misuse of private citizen data by putting the proper controls in place, including security technology that ensures access control, authentication and encryption.
Any company that does business in the EU will need to comply with the GDPR directive by the May 2018 deadline. Where companies are struggling with their GDPR readiness is that there are no concrete set of plans to go by. While GDPR outlines why Personally Identifiable Information (PII) must be kept secure and private and the importance of that, it does not dictate how it should be done. Organizations need to figure this out on their own and it is taking a collective effort by privacy, security and legal teams to make sure it happens.
Just recently, UK regulators are looking into the Equifax data breach situation even ahead of the GDPR go live date. The UK Financial Conduct Authority has the power to fine Equifax right now. Under GDPR, the fines and penalties could end up being even worse if companies allow breaches of private data. Other countries will undoubtedly be looking at such penalties and measures now as well. No organization wants to be in the same hot water and as many discussed at IAPP PSR, there is still a lot of work to do to be in GDPR compliance.
IT Security’s Role in Privacy
For data to be private, securing it is essential. Data must be secured at rest and during transmission. There are many organizational layers of securing data throughout the IT infrastructure. Digital Certificates play a vital role in enabling stronger authentication, access control and encryption. An enterprise PKI strategy should be considered that automates certificate provisioning, manages the lifecycle and integrates with existing IT solutions. Here are some of the security concerns you can address with PKI:
- Web and server security – encrypt internal and public servers and websites to secure the transaction of sensitive data.
- Authentication and access control – strengthen passwords with certificate-based authentication to allow only approved people, machines and devices to access corporate networks and resources.
- Secure email – encrypt sensitive internal communications, prove email origin and prevent tampering and phishing threats.
- Document signing – trusted digital signatures enhance document security and prevent tampering.
How to Get Started
If data privacy is top of mind whether you need to be ready for GDPR or not, your IT security strategy should be right at the top of the list too. We all know that there are many technology vendors and different layers of IT security that address many different security applications. PKI is a pillar security technology that every organization can benefit from.
GlobalSign’s cloud-based managed PKI platform provides automation, management and integration capabilities to easily add PKI without the burden of trying to become cryptographic experts. If you’re interested in learning more, contact us today.
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GlobalSign Privacy Policy Version 3.0
Updated April 1, 2018
GlobalSign respects your right to privacy.This privacy policy has been developed to inform you about the privacy practices followed by GlobalSign in connection with its websites, products and services. This privacy policy does not apply to GlobalSign services offered by or through our partners, resellers or other third parties, or other third party services or websites, and we encourage you to read the privacy policies of those parties.
This privacy policy will inform you about what data is collected, how we use such data, where data is processed, how you may opt out of your data being used, the security provisions around storing your data and how to correct or update your data.
1. Data Controller
In order to communicate with you and to provide our products and services and related support, it is necessary for GlobalSign to transfer your personal data outside of the European Union. In such case, the data controller for this data for EU residents is GMO GlobalSign, Ltd., having its registered offices at Springfield House, Sandling Road, Maidstone, Kent, ME14 2LP, United Kingdom. All questions or requests regarding the processing of data may be addressed to: dpo@globalsign.com.
2. Collection of Personal Information
We collect information from you when you (i) place an order for a GlobalSign digital certificate product or other product or service, (ii) scan your servers for digital certificates using our Certificate Inventory Tool (CIT), (iii) apply for access to our managed service platforms, (iv) subscribe to our newsletter, (v) use our online chat service, (vi) download a white paper, (vii) register for a webinar, (viii) respond to a survey, (ix) fill out a form for pre/post sales assistance, (x) open a support ticket, or (xi) your use of social media.
GlobalSign is a Certification Authority and trusted third party. To fulfill requests for digital certificates or other products or services, you may be asked to enter your name, email address, physical address, phone number, credit card information and/or organizational details or other personal information.
We may develop and acquire additional information about you using third-party sources, browsing, and purchasing history, and so on in order to process certificate requests and to improve our services.
GlobalSign treats personal information as confidential, except for the information included in an issued digital certificate. Such information may be verified using third party commercial and government resources, and as such, is deemed to be public information.
3. Use of Personal Information
Your information, whether public or private, will not be sold, exchanged, transferred outside of our group company, or given to any other company for any reason without your consent, other than for the purposes specified in below:
3.1 To process applications for GlobalSign products and services
Your information is used to provide our products and services and order processing as well as to conduct business transactions such as billing.
3.2 To improve customer service
Your information helps us to more effectively respond to your pre/post sales requests and provide technical support.
3.3 To send renewal notices
The email address you provide for order processing may be used to send you renewal notices for your expiring digital certificate.
3.4 To send periodic emails
In addition, we may send you periodic company newsletters, new service updates, security updates, related product or service information, and status updates on maintenance windows or service availability.
3.5 To tell you about our products and services
We may send you information about our products and services that may be of interest to you based on your use of other GlobalSign products and services, your attendance at GlobalSign sponsored marketing events such as webinars, your requests for information about similar products and services, or your sharing of data with social media sites such as LinkedIn or Facebook.
4. Processing of Data and Consent
We will process your data for the purpose of performance of our contract with you or the legitimate interest of our business. In other cases, we will request your consent for the processing of the personal data you may submit.
Your refusal to provide personal data to us for certain products and services may hinder us from fulfilling your order for those products or services. Also, if you deny or withdraw your consent to use personal data or opt out of receiving information about GlobalSign products and services this may result in you not being made aware of sales promotions, renewal notices, periodic company newsletters, new service updates, security updates, related product or service information, and status updates on maintenance windows or service availability.
5. Use of Cookies and web beacons
The GlobalSign Certificate Center (GCC) uses cookies to enable the fulfillment of services. Cookies may be used when you log into the GCC, purchase products or use certain GCC functions.
In addition, like most online businesses, GlobalSign uses cookies and web beacons on our websites and through marketing related emails to gather and analyze some personal data such as the visitor’s IP address, browser type, ISP, referring page, operating system, date/time and basic geographical information.
We use cookies and web beacons to compile aggregate data about site traffic and site interaction so that we can gauge the effectiveness of our communications and offer better site experiences and tools in the future. We may contract with third-party service providers to assist us in better understanding our site visitors. These service providers are not permitted to use the information collected on our behalf except to help us conduct and improve our business.
First time visitors may choose to not have any activity monitoring cookies set in their browser. We use an opt-out identification cookie to tag these users as having made this decision. Those cookies that pertain to site performance, experience improvement and marketing are programmed not to execute when an opt-out cookie is present in a visitor’s browser. Opt-out cookies persist until a visitor clears their browser cookies, or until their expiration one year after the set date. A visitor is required to opt out again after one year in order to disable any activity monitoring cookies.
More details of GlobalSign’s use of cookies can be found on our website at https://www.globalsign.com/en/repository/cookie-policy/
6. Use of application logs for diagnostics or to gather statistical information
Our servers automatically record information ("Application Log Data") created by your use of our services. Application Log Data may include information such as your IP address, browser type, operating system, the referring web page, pages visited, location, your mobile carrier, device and application IDs, search terms, and cookie information. We use this information to diagnose and improve our services. Except as stated in section 8 (Data Retention), we will either delete the Application Log Data or remove any account identifiers, such as your username, full IP address, or email address, after 12 months.
7. Sharing of Information and Transfers of Data
We do not sell or trade your personal information to outside parties.
GlobalSign is a global organization with business processes and technical systems in various countries. As such, we may share information about you within our group company and transfer it to countries in the world where we do business in connection with the uses identified in section 3 above and in accordance with this Privacy Policy. In these cases, personal data will be transferred to countries that do not provide an adequate level of protection under European law so we ensure your data is protected by entering into agreements containing standard contract clauses with each of our group companies a copy of which may be obtained by contacting us as outlined in section 15 below.
We may also transfer your personal data to trusted third parties in order to serve purposes that are specified in section 3 above. In circumstances where data is shared with such third parties, they are required to agree to confidentiality terms. This prohibits such third parties from selling, trading, using, marketing or otherwise distributing GlobalSign customer data.
We may also release your information when we believe release is appropriate to comply with the law or protect our rights, property, or safety.
It is our policy to notify customers of requests for their data from law enforcement unless we are prohibited from doing so by statute or court order. Law enforcement officials who believe that notification would jeopardize an investigation should obtain an appropriate court order or other process that specifically precludes member notification, such as an order issued pursuant to 18 U.S.C. §2705(b).
We may also disclose your personal information to third parties who may take over the operation of our site or who may purchase any or all of our assets, including your personal information. We will contact you using the details you provide if there is any change in the person controlling your information.
8. Data retention
The personal information we collect is retained for no longer than necessary to fulfil the stated purposes in section 2 above or for a period specifically required by law or regulation that GlobalSign is obligated to follow.
To meet public CA audit requirements as detailed in the GlobalSign Certification Practice Statement, personal data used to fulfill verification of certain types of digital certificate applications will be retained for a minimum of 10 years depending on the class of product or service and may be retained in either a physical or electronic format. Please refer to the GlobalSign Certification Practice Statement for full details.
Even if you request deletion or erasure of your data, we may retain your personal data to the extent necessary and for so long as necessary for our legitimate business interests or performance of contractual obligations.
After the retention period is over, GlobalSign securely disposes or anonymizes your personal information in order to prevent loss, theft, misuse, or unauthorized access.
9. Opting out; withdrawing consent
If at any time you would like to unsubscribe from receiving future emails, we include unsubscribe instructions at the bottom of each email.
Renewal notices may be cancelled on a per digital certificate basis by logging into your GlobalSign Certificate Center (GCC) account and disabling renewal notices.
Email preferences for CIT related/collected information can be updated and changed within CIT.
If GlobalSign is processing your personal data based on your consent, you may withdraw your consent at any time by contacting us at one of the addresses shown in section 15 below.
10. Acess to your personal data
You are responsible for providing Globalsign with true, accurate, current and complete personal information. Also you are responsible to maintain and promptly update the information to keep it true, accurate, current and complete.
You have the right to access and modify your personal data stored on GlobalSign systems.
You can request to access or modify your personal information by contacting us in writing. We will require you to provide identification in order to verify the authenticity as the data subject. We will make reasonable effort to respond to and process your request in a timely manner.
If you provide any information that is untrue, inaccurate, not current or incomplete, or if we have reasonable grounds to suspect that such information is untrue, inaccurate, not current or incomplete, we have the right to suspend or terminate your account and refuse any and all current or future services.
11. How we protect your information
We implement a variety of security measures to maintain the safety of your personal information when you place an order or enter, submit, or access your personal information. All supplied sensitive/credit information is transmitted via Secure Socket Layer (SSL).
After a transaction, your transaction-related information will be kept on file to meet audit requirements and facilitate renewals. We do not retain any credit card details.
GlobalSign uses a reputable third party to process credit card payments and needs to provide credit card numbers and identifying financial data directly to the third party credit card processor. Such information is shared securely.
12. Follow relevant laws
GlobalSign commits itself to protect the personal information submitted by applicants and subscribers for its public certification services. GlobalSign declares to fully respect all rights established and laid out in European laws and operates within the limits of the:
- European Directive 95/46 on the protection of individuals with regard to the processing of personal data and on the free movement of such data; and
- Provisions of the GlobalSign CPS.
13. Your rights
In compliance with the European Union rules on privacy, you have the following rights established by law:
- We use the data you submit only for purposes identified in section 3 of this privacy policy.
- You have the right to review your personal data that GlobalSign holds and check it for accuracy.
- You have the right to correct data in the case that errors may be found in our records.
- You have the right to request that any of your personal data be erased. i.e. right to be forgotten.
- You have the right to obtain and reuse use your personal data for your own purposes
- You have the right to request that GlobalSign restrict the processing of your personal data under certain circumstances.
- You have the right to object to our processing of your personal data.
14. Changes to our Privacy Policy
If we make material changes to our privacy policy, we will inform customers by emailing a notice of the availability of a new version with a link to the new version.
15. Contact Us
If you have any inquires, or questions regarding our privacy policy, please contact us at:
https://support.globalsign.com/
https://www.globalsign.com/en/company/contact/support/
https://jp.globalsign.com/support/
or
Deputy Data Protection Officer
GMO GlobalSign, Ltd.
Springfield House Sandling Road
Maidstone, Kent ME 14 2LP
United Kingdom
dpo@globalsign.com
16. Our Office Locations
GMO GlobalSign K.K., Tokyo, Japan
GMO GlobalSign Ltd., Maidstone, Kent, UK
GMO GlobalSign N/V, Leuven, Belgium
GMO GlobalSign, Inc., Portsmouth, NH, USA
GMO GlobalSign Russia LLC , Moskva, Russia
GMO GlobalSign Pte. Ltd, Anson, Singapore
GMO GlobalSign Certificate Services Pvt. Ltd., Delhi, India
GlobalSign China Co., Ltd., Shanghai, China
GMO GlobalSign Inc., Manila, Philippines
GMO GlobalSign FZ-LLC, Dubai, UAE