Why You Need a Technology Lawyer for Your Business in the Digital Age
Over the last century, business has evolved tremendously. While many of the principles of good business practice remain unchanged (listening to your customers, maximizing efficiencies, building reliable partnerships, etc.), technology has shifted some priorities when it comes to business management. For example: data usage. With the rise of e-commerce, we’ve never had more customer data available at our fingertips. And how you protect that data could determine your business’ survival. That’s why it’s so important to not only understand your reliance on technology, but also to leverage the expertise of a technology lawyer to help protect your business now and into the future.
What You Need to Know About Technology Law
Technology law is essentially what it sounds like: law that governs the use and management of technology and, specifically, information technology. Think a minute about e-commerce retailers. When a customer buys something online, they’re required to submit their name, billing and shipping addresses, payment information, and other contact information like their telephone number and email address. Much of that is personally identifiable information (PII), and the retailer is responsible for protecting it from threats like data breaches and data theft — this is otherwise known as data privacy. Technology law includes:- Data Privacy: regulating how information is collected, how users are informed, and how users can manage their data — like opting in or opting out of allowing businesses to use their data for marketing purposes.
- Cybersecurity: also known as digital security, or the protection of computers and computer systems, including those that protect personal data. Cybersecurity can also include internet governance, which also overlaps with data privacy.
- Intellectual Property: protecting creative digital properties like writing, music, art and design, etc.