Handling data safely
Good accounts and up-to-date systems only help if you are also careful in your daily actions: how you share something, what is on your desk, what is still sitting in a mailbox somewhere, and what agreements apply in your organisation.
- check_circleHow to share data safely and which channels to avoid
- check_circleWhy paper documents and your workspace are part of the protection
- check_circleHow long you may retain data and what to do with the code of conduct
The right channel for the right message
A quick message is easy, but not every channel is suitable for personal data. Rule of thumb: the more sensitive the information, the more carefully you choose the channel.
- WhatsApp and SMS are handy for arrangements, but they are not a work tool for customer or staff data. Messages often end up on colleagues’ personal devices, stay in someone’s chat history for years, and the line between work and private blurs.
- Personal email (Gmail, Hotmail) you never use for work data. Always use your business email.
- Work email is usually good enough, but be careful with placing several names in the TO and CC fields. Use BCC for mailings to multiple customers to protect their privacy.
- Business collaboration tools (Microsoft Teams, Google Workspace, a shared folder) are usually the safest, because access and logging are set up professionally.
- Very sensitive data (health, financial, staff records, copies of an ID) belong in a tool that is specifically built for it and approved by your organisation. Think of an HR system, a customer or case portal, or a secured document tool (Box, Tresorit, ShareFile, an in-house vault). Not a “temporary folder” or an ad-hoc solution. Unsure which channel goes with which data? Ask; that is not overkill, that is professionalism.
WhatsApp looks innocent, but for customer or staff data the risk is high. Read in the knowledge base why, and which alternatives are a better fit.
We often forget paper, but it counts
A data breach does not always start in a system. A file left open, a printout in the printer, a note in the bin: all just as visible to anyone passing by.
- Clean desk: clear away files with personal data when you leave your workstation. Store sensitive items in a locked cabinet or drawer.
- Lock your screen the moment you stand up. One key combination is enough (Windows key + L on Windows, Control + Command + Q on Mac).
- Print deliberately: collect your printouts straight away. A forgotten printout in a shared printer is a breach waiting to happen.
- Destroy: old documents with personal data go through the shredder, not just in the paper bin.
The GDPR makes no distinction between digital and paper personal data. A file on your desk counts just as much.
Do not keep longer than needed
One of the pillars of the GDPR is that you do not keep personal data longer than necessary for the purpose for which you collected it. What you still have can also still leak.
In practice:
- Applicants you do not hire: delete after a reasonable period (often 2 years with consent).
- Customer data: keep as long as the relationship lasts and as long as tax or legal periods require (accounts usually 6 years in the UK), then clean up.
- Employee records: according to the statutory retention period after leaving employment.
- Temporary files in your downloads, on your desktop, in your mailbox: clean up regularly, even if they seem unimportant.
The fewer old personal data you have lying around, the less can leak. A short annual “clean-up” of shared folders and mailboxes takes little effort and noticeably reduces your risk.
The code of conduct, your house rules
Many organisations have a Privacy code of conductAn internal guideline that bundles agreements about how staff handle personal data: which channels to use, which data you share and with whom, what to do in an incident. It is not a legal obligation, but it is a strong way to make expectations clear and encourage consistent behaviour. or a privacy charter that bundles the agreements: which tools you may use, which data you share with whom, and what to do in an incident.
- Read it at least once when you join or when it is revised.
- When in doubt, it is your reference point: it describes what is expected of you.
- Does your organisation not have one? This may be a good moment to put the topic on the table.
A short, readable code of conduct works better than a thick handbook no one opens. The knowledge base explains what belongs in it and how to draft one.
A customer address via WhatsApp?
What do you do?
A phone call or a secured work channel is the right choice here. WhatsApp looks innocent, but the address then ends up on your colleague's personal device, possibly for years, uncontrolled, and outside your company's logging.
Sharing verbally is the simplest solution in this case. If your organisation uses Teams, Slack, or its own app: use that. Access and logging are set up for those, and the information stays where it belongs.
Just popping out for a coffee
What do you do before you leave?
Lock your screen and put the file away. Two minutes is more than enough for a passing supplier, cleaner, customer, or colleague to see or photograph something.
The combination of locking and clean desk is a habit that costs nothing, and that shields your organisation from many small, accidental breaches. One key combination and put the file away or turn it over.
What you take away from module 4
- boltChoose the right channel for the right message. WhatsApp and personal email are not a work tool for customer or staff data.
- boltPaper counts just as much under the GDPR. Clean desk, cleaning up, screen lock, and deliberate printing all belong to it.
- boltDo not keep longer than needed. What you no longer have cannot leak.
- boltA code of conduct bundles your agreements and gives a reference when in doubt. Read it at least once.
- boltMany small habits together make a big difference in your daily exposure.
Module 4 complete 🎉
Going well. You know how to share data safely, respect paper, and not keep more than needed. In module 5 we close out with what to do when something does go wrong: spotting and reporting a data breach quickly.
On your way to the “Security awareness” practice quiz
Complete all 6 modules and try the free practice quiz. The official exam with a certificate of attendance is in the GDPRWise app’s paid plans.