Adhering to the Online Privacy Act 2021 with a redaction software

The digital revolution has not only transformed the world but also brought new challenges for businesses. One of the most pressing challenges is the protection and security of digital data.

Data privacy has never been more crucial than it is today due the volume of data continues to grow exponentially. Unfortunately, with the convenience and benefits of digital data come more significant risks of data breaches and malicious attacks.

According to the identity theft resource centers 2021 Data breach report.

“There were 1862 data breaches in 2021, which are 68% more than compared to 2020.”

These threats can have disastrous consequences for businesses, including lost revenue, legal liabilities, and reputational damage.

To address these concerns, governments around the world have enacted laws and regulations to protect the privacy and security of digital data. One such law was the Online Privacy Act, proposed on 18th November 2021.

What is the Online Privacy Act 2021?

Keeping in mind the growing concerns of data privacy, two congresswomen from Silicon Valley, Anna G. Eshoo and Zoe Lofgren, proposed the Online Privacy Act of 2021. This act aims to address the growing vulnerabilities of online privacy by providing more comprehensive protection to U.S. citizens.

H.R. 6027 The Online Privacy Act 2021 bill clearly states that:

The proposed bill contains important measures to protect individuals' data subject rights and establish a new agency responsible for enforcing privacy violations. Specifically, the bill outlines provisions for the creation of a digital privacy agency that would oversee and enforce regulations related to online privacy.

Additionally, the bill proposes the establishment of an office of civil rights within the new enforcement agency to promote equal treatment and prevent discrimination.

Moreover, the bill allows state privacy regulators to share enforcement powers with the agency and state attorneys general, creating a comprehensive network of privacy protection. These provisions are crucial steps toward ensuring individuals have control over their personal information and promoting transparency in the digital age.

Understanding the Key Provisions of the Online Privacy Act

The significant provisions highlighted in the Online Privacy Act are as follows:

Creating User Rights – Under the proposed bill, every American will have the right to access, correct, or delete their personal data held by companies. This will give individuals more control over their data and how it is used. In addition, the bill creates new rights, including the right to impermanence. This empowers users to decide how long companies can keep their data, ensuring that personal information is not retained longer than necessary.
Placing Clear Obligations on Companies – The bill minimizes the amount of data companies collect, process, disclose, and maintain and bars companies from using data in discriminatory ways. Additionally, companies must receive consent from users in plain, simple language.
Establishing a Digital Privacy Agency (DPA) – The bill proposes to establish an independent agency led by a director that’s appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate for a five-year term. The DPA will enforce privacy protections and investigate abuses.
Strengthening Enforcement – The bill empowers state attorneys general to enforce violations of the bill and allows individuals to appoint nonprofits to represent them in private class action lawsuits.

The Rights of U.S. Citizens Under the Online Privacy Act 2021

The proposed law grants new rights to U.S. citizens to safeguard their personal information. Under this law, individuals can exercise the following rights:

Rights of Access – Individuals may access categories of personal information for collecting, processing, maintaining, or disclosing to a third party. A covered entity that makes information available is required to be in compliance with such requirements.
Right of Correction – Individuals may dispute the accuracy or completeness of personal information, and covered entities need to notify individuals for correction and completion been made or denying of request correction.
Right of Deletion – Individuals may request for deletion of personal information, while covered entities are required to notify about the deletion of data or denying of request for deletion.
Right of Portability – A covered entity that maintains personal information shall make available upon annual determination not less frequently than once per calendar year, drafting opportunity for public comment before publishing.
Right to Human Review of Automated Decisions – Covered entities should inform individuals about what personal information is being or may be used for decisions. Individuals may request a human review of such a decision, and such review should be conducted within a reasonable time after the request.
Right to Individual Autonomy – A covered entity shall not collect, process, maintain or disclose an individual’s personal information to create, improve, process, or otherwise link an individual with.
Right to be Informed – A covered entity that collects personal information of an individual that includes contact information shall notify such individual within 30 days, in writing, if possible.
Right to Impermanence – A covered entity shall not maintain personal information for more time than expressly consented by an individual. The consent is granted for a specific duration, like completing of specific request or transaction, until consent is revoked and based on reasonable expectations and norms for maintaining the category of personal information.

Based on the rights given to U.S. citizens in Online Data Privacy Act, companies would be required to obtain explicit consent from people before collecting their data and give them full control over how their data is used. Along with the proper consent, if organizations are willing to share data that may have any Personal Identifiable Information (PII), then it must be redacted prior to its sharing with third-party stakeholders.

However, this raises concerns about how to redact any personal information appearing in digital data to avoid violation of individual privacy rights.

Organizations can now consider various compliant platforms that can solve their compliance challenges along with their redaction requirements.

VIDIZMO: The Ultimate Solution to Data Privacy Concerns

VIDIZMO, a leader in video content management, digital evidence management, and redaction solutions, serves as the trusted platform for those who seek to manage data securely and stay compliant with regulations while maintaining the data privacy of every individual. The reason is that VIDIZMO understands the vital importance of protecting sensitive data from unauthorized access and misuse.

VIDIZMO Redactor provides an easy and effective solution for redaction and data security needs. Its comprehensive capabilities make it the ideal choice for organizations looking to stay compliant with data privacy regulations while ensuring their sensitive information is protected from misuse.

The redactor tool offers a range of capabilities, such as automatic video redaction, audio redaction, various redaction styles, manual redaction, automatic face detection and frame-by-frame tracking, and built-in video editing capabilities.

Automatic video redaction enables users to accurately detect and redact various elements, including faces, objects, bodies, vehicles, weapons, and license plates. Depending on their preferences, users can choose from multiple redaction styles, such as pixelate, blur, or adding a black box over the redacted items.

Manual redaction is also available, allowing users to redact simultaneously with automatic redaction for maximum accuracy. The tool also uses Artificial Intelligence to automatically detect and track faces frame-by-frame, further increasing the accuracy of the redaction process. Moreover, users can mute or bleep specific audio segments highlighting PII in audio files.

VIDIZMO also has built-in video editing capabilities that allow users to modify their media as needed, such as trimming unnecessary video segments and splitting them into various parts.

VIDIZMO provides FIPS-Compliant AES-256 end-to-end encryption to provide considerable security measures for data protection at rest, in transit and in use. It is an AI-powered tool that can redact any information highlighting personal information within videos, audio recordings, images, and documents.

Besides, the tool is secure, effective and, easy to use, and fully compliant with various data privacy regulations, including GDPR, HIPAA, FOIA, CJIS, to name a few.

Final Thought

Everyone is vulnerable to privacy violations in the online world. VIDIZMO’s Redactor Tool offers a powerful solution to the growing concerns surrounding data privacy and security. With its advanced AI-powered capabilities, it enables organizations to redact sensitive data with ease and confidence, ensuring compliance with the latest regulations while protecting against potential data breaches and malicious attacks.

Businesses can rest assured that their sensitive information is in safe hands, allowing them to focus on their core objectives and stay ahead of the curve in today's rapidly evolving digital landscape.

Choose VIDIZMO and experience peace of mind with your data privacy and security needs.

To learn more about VIDIZMO redacting capabilities or if you have any queries, feel free to get in touch with us or schedule a meeting with our sales representatives.