Privacy and GDPR compliance for developers

Summary

Privacy and GDPR compliance is a challenging topic even for developers. As a developer you need to think about privacy when storing user records, when adding new API that can expose customer information, when using cloud infrastructure, etc…

What is personal data?

The first issue to consider is determining what personal data your app is using. This may be the username of the client, his billing address. An IP address is also considered personal data because it can be used to identify a person.

Examples of privacy violations commonly found in application source code:

1. Storing sensitive information, such as passwords or financial data, in plain text or in an insecure manner.
2. Collecting or using personal data without the user’s consent, or in ways that the user is not aware of.
3. Sharing personal data with third parties without the user’s knowledge or consent.
4. Failing to properly secure user data, such as by not using encryption or by using weak passwords.
5. Using personal data for purposes other than those specified in the user’s consent, such as using it for targeted advertising.
6. Failing to properly dispose of personal data when it is no longer needed, such as by not securely deleting it from databases or servers.

There are several ways to check code for privacy violations, including:

1. Reviewing the code yourself or having a team of trained individuals review it for any potential privacy issues.
2. Using automated static analysis tools that can scan the code and identify potential privacy violations. These tools can help to identify issues such as insecure data storage or the improper handling of sensitive information.
3. Conducting regular security audits and penetration testing to ensure that the code is secure and that any potential privacy violations have been addressed.
4. Implementing a robust data protection strategy that outlines how sensitive information should be handled, and training all developers on the importance of protecting user privacy.