Today, people rely more on computer systems and online solutions. Documents creation, modification and storage are tied directly to the available computer system. It also means that data can be left vulnerable to piracy or theft. As the potential and power of the Internet expands, the threat to document privacy and personal vulnerability could increase proportionally. Whether we are running a small business, law firm or corporate office; the secure protection of our private documents could mean a huge difference between winning or losing a lawsuit. Hacking attempts or accidental discoveries could cause leakage of confidential information. This could result in significant financial and credibility losses. Often time, any evidence can be used in the lawsuit.
Documentation and information that were once thought to be confidential and private can now be disclosed in different inappropriate manner. Well trained IT employees could easily unearth hidden documents and communication records, although they are not meant to be disclosed. This could elevate risks for companies that could face substantial losses due to breach of data. A lot of information could also be stored in metadata and it takes more than Microsoft Word’s protected document feature to fully enhance document privacy. There are actually methods that hackers can do to “unprotect” documents, especially if weak passwords or keys are used.
When attempting to improve the data security, it is important that metadata is also examined. Any comment and updates should be included in the document itself to avoid putting too much information in metadata. Although this method won’t be able to prevent the elimination of all metadata trails; we should still be able to reduce overall risks. The continued expansion of electronic communication and Internet use may result on increased vulnerability and this something that we should take into account. However, with proper methods, we should be able to mitigate any kind of risk. It won’t be possible to eliminate confidential disclosure completely, but we should still be able to find balance to manage the risk efficiently.
Legal matters can be prevented through safe and secure creation, retention and disposal of data. This could help protect ourselves from malicious hackers or legal adversaries. There are legal review systems that can help to ensure that data is fully secured. People who have rigid security system would have stronger position during the courtroom proceeding, when data breaches do occur. Although there is no foolproof system that can handle all possible attacks, it is still quite likely that any illegal attempt would be more apparent.