Don’t confuse data protection with data literacy

There are several clichés all over facts, from referring to it as the new oil to the assertion that we’re blind and deaf without it. But despite the buzzwords, these statements have an element of fact to them: the modern-day entire world generates and consumes more data than at any other level in background, and knowing how to gather and use it is important.

A panel of info industry experts – Simon Ratcliffe of Ensono, Suzy Gallier of health info investigate hub Pioneer, and Jane Offer of The Regulation Culture – came collectively to focus on the subject of info-readiness at Computing‘s IT Leaders Forum very last thirty day period. All agreed that top quality and transparency of knowledge are crucial, but comprehension knowledge is even extra so.

One particular of the greatest techniques to market details literacy is by storytelling: a position all 3 panellists agreed on. Offer claimed she applied this in a earlier job, at the Royal Nationwide Institute of Blind People, to train people today about details protection.

“We chose a individual in fundraising who was a little bit of a live wire and a good storyteller to make an posting. Rather of ‘What you want to know about information protection’ he titled it ‘Are you the weakest connection?’, wrote a story and made it actual for individuals. People have been perfectly through the short article right before they realised they were being being talked to about data security.”

Ratcliffe also agreed, referring back to this solution when managing an viewers problem about the GDPR:

“Facts literacy isn’t all about just staying information, details, facts… There requirements to be a degree of awareness in there. I am a huge believer in the thought of storytelling, and if you you should not use the phrase facts in a tale that is even superior, mainly because out of the blue people are pondering about it in a context that helps make feeling to them.

“The problem with facts is it is really develop into a headline, substantially like GDPR became a headline, and actually the right tale lies underneath that. Alternatively like details protection – and I assume facts literacy is the identical – it truly is about not only knowing the great importance of facts, but also knowledge what is not crucial in there. Not all data is equivalent… We require to discover to get a pragmatic perspective of it.”

Gallier mentioned that storytelling had assisted Pioneer in a identical manner.

“It is really about earning [data] contextual for the particular person, so there are unique stories and videos, and we have actors actively playing out scenes of anyone inquiring for a particular piece of info in a scientific environment, so it helps make people today see how these points can conveniently come about if you aren’t pondering about it. As a medical center we get that extremely critically.”

Even so, there should be a balance in between data safety and facts use. Defending data, primarily in a healthcare atmosphere, is incredibly important, but you are unable to simply just lock everything down and connect with it great. “I’ve come across organisations where nothing at all can go any place,” said Ratcliffe. Gallier expanded on his point:

“The complete point is that if we never get [data literacy] correct and we will not basically enable entry and make that information discoverable, we’re not going to have the upcoming ton of innovation we’re not likely to have the upcoming transformation… Equally, it is really constantly about that balance: what are we basically permitted to do, and what level of knowledge are we in a position to supply?”

To sum up: data literacy is definitely vital, but so is information defense. Use storytelling to fully grasp each, and do not let a person stand in the way of the other.

All of the classes from the most current IT Leaders Forum, covering all features of knowledge readiness and use, are now readily available to check out on-demand.