Marriott International, Facebook, LinkedIn, Yahoo, and My Fitness Pal. One regrettable factor brought these well-known businesses national attention in recent years: they were included on the list of the top 15 data breaches of the twenty-first century. In actuality, though, cyber attacks are becoming a bigger issue for companies of all shapes and sizes, with estimates indicating that the cost of cyber crime could top $10 trillion by 2025.
Businesses can hire qualified cybersecurity specialists in addition to putting cyber security best practices into place, like training staff, backing up data, and introducing multi-factor authentication. We'll go over the specifics of one such crucial role in this career guide: the data protection officer.
What Is a Data Protection Officer?
This security-focused role is responsible for safeguarding the data and information of a business or organization. Although they are needed in certain other nations, data protection officers and other roles pertaining to data and privacy are not generally mandated in the United States, however their prevalence is rising.
Appointing a data protection officer is not mandated in the United States, unless businesses and organizations fall under the purview of HIPAA regulations. Nevertheless, it is seen as a best practice, particularly for bigger institutions.
Data Protection Officers and the GDPR
If you're seeking a job in data and privacy, you're likely to come across the term GDPR — General Data Protection Regulation, a European data protection law that went into force in 2018. The GDPR, known as "the toughest privacy and security law in the world," imposes data privacy rules and obligations on enterprises that focus on or collect data about people in the European Union (EU).
Data privacy infractions and failure to comply with regulations result in significant penalties. According to the Digital Guardian, the GDPR was designed by the European Parliament, European Council, and European Commission to "strengthen and streamline data protection for European Union citizens."
The GDPR requires firms to appoint an individual to manage GDPR compliance. This is sometimes referred to as a data protection officer. According to the rules: "The Data Protection Officer, or DPO, is an organization's GDPR focal point and will have to possess expert knowledge of data protection law and practices."
Data Protection in the United States
There is no single, comprehensive, and overarching data privacy regulation in the United States, although there are several. Listed below are some of the most common:
- Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1966 (HIPAA)
- Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA)
- Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA)
- Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act (GLBA)
- Electronic Communications Privacy Act of 1986 (ECPA)
- Children’s Online Privacy Protection Rule (COPPA)
- California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA)
Although data protection officers are not essential occupations in the United States, they are growing common as more businesses and organizations recognize the need and value of skilled privacy specialists
What Does Personal Data Entail?
There is no single list that identifies all types of personal data; instead, the GDPR defines it as "information relating to an identified or identifiable natural person." Names, for example, may be deemed personal information, but this is not always the case. According to IT Governance, John Smith is insufficient to identify a single person because many people share that name. However, combining the name with additional information, such as a birthdate and address, may be sufficient to identify someone.
The range of personal data includes:
- Names and surnames
- Email address
- Phone number
- Home address
- Date of birth
- Race
- Gender
- Credit card number
- Social security number
- IP address
- Identification card number
The GDPR does not apply to personal data relating to deceased individuals, data in which personal identifying characteristics have been erased, or information about public agencies and corporations.
What Does a Data Protection Officer Do?
To put it simply, a data protection officer (DPO) is responsible for all areas of personal data protection.
The post also emphasizes confidentiality; typically, the DPO reports solely to the highest levels of management. Here's an excellent explanation from LinkedIn:
"A Data Protection Officer is in charge of teaching a company's employees about data compliance, training staff members who handle data, and conducting regular security audits.
They also act as the primary point of contact for the company and the applicable data protection authorities. "All companies that process or collect personal data from EU citizens must have a Data Protection Officer."
Data Protection Officer Job Description
Although each company's or organization's data security officer job description will be unique, the following are some actual examples of duties that were recently shared on LinkedIn:
- Monitor compliance with legislation and regulations
- Work closely with legal, compliance, governance and information security functions to develop and monitor policies and standards applicable to the business and in compliance with the GDPR and CCPA.
- Establish a privacy governance framework to manage data use.
- Work with key internal stakeholders to review projects and related data to ensure compliance with local data privacy laws; where necessary, complete and advise on privacy impact assessments.
- Collaborate with IT to maintain records and a data privacy and security incident management plan.
Data Protection Officer Education Requirements
Data protection officers usually require a BA or BS degree in computer science, information security, or a similar profession, according to the Cybersecurity Guide.
Cybersecurity Guide states that an acceptable substitute may be a bachelor's degree, J.D., or comparable professional experience in privacy, compliance, information security, auditing, or a related field.
In most cases, an advanced degree is not necessary, however it can be depending on the role. Even if it's not necessary, getting an advanced degree has several advantages. It can give you practical experience, prove your ability to master new skills, and give you an advantage over other candidates for jobs.
Work Experience Needed
Considering that a data protection officer works directly with personal data, this is not an entry-level profession. Experience levels vary depending on the particular role and volume of data an organization manages. Here are some samples from recent LinkedIn job advertisements to help you understand the kind of experience that is required:
- DPO expertise in a multinational company with over 500 workers expertise
- Creating a privacy framework from the ground up
- Five years of experience in a legal, audit, compliance, or risk role, with more recent expertise in privacy compliance
- A minimum of 12 years' experience and solid expertise in operational risk management, privacy, data, information security, or similar IT fields
- A minimum of two years of GDPR experience and some familiarity with the CCPA
- An experience in Fintech
Professional Certifications
Certain positions may call for certain certifications. They are quite helpful in any case for becoming an effective data protection officer. Among the most well-liked ones are:
- Certified Information Privacy Professional (CIPP)
- Certified Information Privacy Manager (CIPM)
- Certified Information Privacy Technologist (CIPT)
- ISACA certifications may be preferred
Desirable Hard and Soft Skills
In addition to professional certificates, the following competencies are listed by the International Association of Privacy Professionals (IAPP) as necessary for a data protection officer:
- 5-10 years of experience with EU and international privacy laws (drafting agreements for outsourcing, technological updates, and privacy policies)
- 5-10 years in IT operations and programming
- 5-10 experience in risk assessment and mitigation, attestation audits, and information systems auditing
- Leadership skills
- Proficiency in collaborating with diverse stakeholders
- Experience managing various projects
- Negotiation skills
- Strong client relationship skills
- Good communication skills
- Demonstrated self-starter
- Experience in legal and technical training
- Familiarity with a variety of corporate cultures and sectors
Career Paths to Become a Data Protection Officer
Gaining experience in many privacy-related fields is a beneficial path towards becoming a data protection officer. Information security, information governance, incident response, and privacy regulation are a few of them. However, this does not imply that working in private is a need. According to Cybersecurity Guide, candidates with backgrounds in finance, business, administration, or other disciplines might be taken into consideration "as long as the candidate can demonstrate relevance to this information security-based role."
Can an Organization’s Employee Be a Data Protection Officer?
Yes, in certain circumstances, but having a data protection officer who is not employed by the corporation or organization is highly advised.
According to Dataversity, "the Data Protection Officer reports directly to upper management." "The key responsibilities of the DPO are to communicate with other experts; it is intended to be a professional post. Furthermore, they are not allowed to have any conflicts of interest with relation to their GDPR compliance obligations.
It is therefore highly advised to appoint an independent officer as opposed to incorporating duties into an already-existing security or IT role. Both American and European organizations and businesses can benefit from this. These roles typically require appointments.
Can Organizations Share a Data Protection Officer?
That may happen. The same DPO may serve multiple linked businesses, but according to Dataversity, "all data protection activities must be managed by the same person and data must be readily accessible by staff from the related organizations, as needed."
How Much Do Data Protection Officers Make?
Pay will vary depending on several aspects, such as the level of experience needed, the job's location, and your education and history. In the United States, the average yearly salary for a data protection officer is $86,309, although it may go as high as $162,000; the median range is $33,500 to $113,500.
Outlook for Data Protection Officers
For this kind of role, the future looks very promising. Jobs in the subject of data protection and privacy rights are highly sought after as, as Cybersecurity Guide puts it, "the field is booming."
More good news: according to Gartner, by the end of 2022, over a million companies and organizations will have appointed a privacy officer, also known as a data protection officer.
Companies Hiring Data Protection Officers
These kinds of jobs are available in a wide range of industries since data is used by all kinds of businesses and organizations. Here are some prestigious businesses that are hiring check out (Indeed and LinkedIn) for the most recent job postings:
- City and County of Denver
- Vault Health
- Citi
- BNY Mellon
- Deloitte
- State of Tennessee
- IBM
- 3M
- Moderna
- Amazon
- Morgan Stanley
- TikTok
Similar jobs with other titles will also come up if you search for "data protection officer." These could consist of:
- Security and Privacy Officer
- Global Data Protection Officer
- Data Protection and Privacy Officer
- Sr. Data Privacy Specialist
- Data Privacy Analyst
- Data Governance Officer
- Data Protection Specialist
- Information Protection Officer.
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Conclusion:
Take your data protection officer career to the next level!
The University of San Diego, a well-known industry thought leader and educational institution that provides a 100% online Master of Science in Cyber Security Operations and Leadership, is the source of this career guide. This degree program offers a cutting-edge, practical curriculum delivered by knowledgeable educators with insights gleaned from extensive, pertinent industry experience.