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European Data Privacy Day 2025

January 29th, 2025 | by
Lock and security icons with laptop in the middle

Source: Freepik

Every year on January 28 is European Data Privacy Day – a date that reminds us of the importance of protecting our personal data and privacy in the digital world. We at the IT Center take this day as an opportunity to draw attention to key aspects of data protection.  We already emphasised the importance of protecting our personal data in last year’s article.

 

Background to European Data Privacy Day 

European Data Privacy Day was established by the Council of Europe in 2006. The date commemorates the signing of Convention 108 on 28 January 1981, the first binding international treaty on the protection of personal data.

The aim of this day is to inform citizens in Europe – and worldwide – about their data protection rights and the responsible handling of personal data. The day is a reminder that personal data is processed around the clock, whether at work, when shopping online, when dealing with authorities or in the healthcare sector.

 

Data Privacy in the Digital World 

In the digital age, data protection is more important than ever. Many everyday processes, from online shopping and social media to smart home devices, access personal data. Protecting this data from unauthorised access and misuse is not only a legal requirement, but also a matter of trust.

Many people are often unaware of the risks involved in handling their data and their rights. They rarely know how they can react if their rights are violated or what role the national data protection authorities play. Data Privacy Day aims to close this gap by:

  • Promoting awareness campaigns for the general public.
  • Initiating educational projects for teachers and pupils.
  • Organising open days at data protection authorities and conferences.

 

What Does Data Privacy Day Mean to Us? 

For us at the IT Center, data protection is not just a topic for a single day, but a central component of our work. We ensure that RWTH Aachen University’s IT services meet the highest data protection standards and are regularly audited.

Our aim is to support students, staff and lecturers in handling data securely. This is why we attach great importance to multi-factor authentication (MFA), for example, and have already integrated it for many services. We also regularly publish blog posts on the topic of data security under the category ‘IT-Security’.

 

How You Can Protect Your Data

To protect your personal data, we recommend the following:

  • Password security: Use strong, unique passwords and a password manager. You can find out more about secure passwords in our previous article on this topic.
  • Install updates: Keep your devices and applications up to date to close security gaps.
  • Be careful online: Be careful when sharing your data and check whether websites and services are trustworthy.
  • Multi-factor authentication: Activate this function to better protect your accounts. Find out more on IT Center Help.

 

Data Privacy: A Common Goal 

European Data Privacy Day reminds us that data protection is not just a technical or legal challenge, but also a social issue that concerns us all. By protecting our data, we also protect our privacy and our rights in the digital world.

We invite you to find out more about data protection and the measures taken by the IT Center. Visit our blog and stay informed!

 


Responsible for the content of this article is Malak Mostafa.

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