Source: own illustration
In today’s digital age, data protection is more important than ever. That’s why every year on January 28, we celebrate European Data Protection Day – a date that reminds us of the importance of protecting our personal data and privacy in the digital world. At IT Center, we use this day as an opportunity to draw attention to key aspects of data protection.
Origin and Objective of European Data Protection Day
The Council of Europe introduced Data Protection Day on January 28 in 2006. The date goes back to January 28, 1981, when the Council of Europe adopted the European Data Protection Convention.
The objective is to ensure the rights and fundamental freedoms of all people, especially the right to privacy in the automatic processing of personal data. It also aims to raise awareness of where and for what purpose personal data is collected and processed.
What Does Data Protection Day Mean for Us?
For us at the IT Center, data protection is not a minor, one-off issue, but a long-term and central part of our work. We ensure that RWTH Aachen University’s IT services meet the highest data protection standards and are regularly audited. Our goal is to support students, staff, and faculty in the secure handling of data.
How You Can Protect Your Data
You can help protect your data by taking a few simple measures:
- Passwords
The more complex the password, the more secure it is. Choose your passwords carefully and change them regularly. You should also use different passwords for different services.
You can find more information on secure passwords in our previous post. - Multi-factor authentication
For all services that offer MFA, you should activate this feature to better protect your accounts. At RWTH, the use of MFA is mandatory for all services that use RWTH Single Sign-On. MFA must also be activated to use the RWTH VPN. Further information on this topic is available at IT Center Help. - Install updates
Keep your devices and applications up to date to close security gaps. - Mindfulness on the internet
Be careful when sharing your data and check whether websites and services are trustworthy.
Data Protection: A Common Goal
European Data Protection Day reminds us that data protection is not only a technical and legal challenge, but also a social issue that affects us all. By protecting our data, we also protect our privacy and our rights in the digital world.
We invite you to learn more about data protection and the measures taken by the IT Center. Visit our blog and stay informed! We regularly publish articles on the topic of data protection in the “IT Security” category.
Responsible for the content of this article is Leo Braun.
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