Research questions
Personal information handling is the most critical task that both organization and individual has due to the trend of cyber criminality and attack that is emerging today.
Following are key research questions which are assessed throughout the project as personal information has become the subject to cyber-criminal attacks:
- Investigating how Personal information is being handled by organizations and individuals and find the best way to handle personal data
- Assess the privacy concerns and their effect on personal information disclosure and protection
- Evaluate the responsibilities between individuals, organizations and government in protection of personal information?
- How personal information is being exploited for cyber-crime and mechanism to protect against exploitation
- Investigate how Personal information are being classified and prioritized
- Research on the types of attack can be used over personal information exploitation
- What’s the security measures and mechanisms to be used in personal information handling
Research Methodology
The method that is primarily used in this research is a literature review and the conceptual modelling, I collect and analyses data from various sources including interviewing people and discussing the issues with practitioners in industries that collect, store and process personal information such as hospitals and Banks. Reading journal and books related to personal information, getting different views from people, consulting the government website to understand the law and regulation on handling personal information and privacy regulation applied to handling of personal data.
Step to undertake the research
In the first step the study will review the type of personal information and how their classified according to the level of access and security. Based on this analysis, the protection and prevention mechanisms will be developed to ensure the security of information. In accordance to [7] , the minimum level of protection when performing activities need to be outlined based on classification of information handled.
In the following stage of the research, existing literature will be reviewed on how personal information is being handled and security measures which are taken into consideration when sharing information between organization. This will allow to find gap in existing study and elaborate best methods to put into account upon information sharing.
Then we will analyze the existing studies on how personal information is exploited by cyber criminals through various form of attack and draw the relationship with organization. This will help determine and demonstrate how the modern technology facilitate the trend of cyber-attack trough different platforms such as social media platforms [8]
Next the study will review the privacy concerns in regard to personal information, evaluate what entities are covered by the privacy Act, find the risk and provide techniques to securely disclose and share personal information.
Once the privacy of information is understood and all other information are collected and reviewed, responsibilities for handling personal information will be outlined in accordance to the status level of every entity responsible for collecting, storing and processing personal information including individuals. According to [2] the privacy act stipulates how individual’s personal information need to be handled by organization that are covered by the privacy act, it again gives individual great control over the way personal information need to be handled.