In this article, I would like to explain how I tackle privacy and security issues that are specific for large scale web and mobile applications and Big Tech.
First, let's outline some of the biggest challenges Big Tech companies deal with in terms of privacy and security.
Security and Privacy Challenges of the Big Tech Some of the challenges, such as data privacy and cybersecurity, are common for almost any IT project.
Big Tech companies accumulate immense amounts of valued data, so privacy concerns shared by both users and government agencies are amplified.
I would say that all security and privacy problems can be divided into two large groups, by their point of views: end-user issues and company issues.
Privacy and Security for End-Users There are several problems I can define when we need to deliver a solution that will satisfy high security and privacy standards for end-users.
Privacy and Security for Companies Enterprise-level privacy and security is more than just the other side of the end-user privacy and security coin when it comes to Big Tech companies.
On the one hand, they are responsible for the end-users' privacy and security, but on the other hand, they need to take care of such problems as potential privacy breaches, compliance and its costs, and cybersecurity.
Identifying potential privacy and security gaps that arise from new feature development takes a huge amount of analysis.
One big issue that causes potential privacy breach risks, and it is an issue many Big Tech companies face, is the quantity of legacy code developers work with on a daily basis.
You should also carefully document and keep track of such findings and solutions that you come up with so that teams are educated and are proactively using it to build products with the latest privacy best practices in a uniform way.
Another issue with legacy code is that it may not always be compliant with the latest security and privacy requirements from government regulators, such as GDPR and CCPA. Big Tech companies with international audiences have to comply with regulators worldwide.
Data leaks and privacy breaches are always bad publicity.
In our work for a large social media company, my team and I took part in the development of tools that gave users more control over their data through available privacy and download settings.
Another part I'd like to emphasize as a recommendation that falls in line with the principle of being proactive, not reactive, is the most thorough privacy and security testing.
Test and analyze any potential privacy risks, create automated user-facing tests to make sure privacy is covered, and use vulnerability assessment and penetration testing to identify potential security gaps and fix them.
My team and I worked on implementing best privacy practices for our customer's development processes and the life-cycle of data, from its acquisition to complete disposal.
Be Proactive in Privacy and Security Issues I think that digital privacy and security is the sphere where development is especially fast, so for me, as a professional, it is important that the solutions I work on always stay a few steps ahead of those who want to benefit from security breaches.
Working for Big Tech means you are working with huge and distributed cross-functional teams that are making hundreds of daily commits, each of which could hold a potential privacy risk.
We analyze and ensure the proper fulfillment of obligations, and together, we have created workflows and processes that allow us to be as transparent as possible and introduce many successful preventive measures as well as establishing a strong privacy built in mindset.
This Cyber News was published on feeds.dzone.com. Publication date: Mon, 11 Dec 2023 19:43:05 +0000