Data loss refers to the unauthorized or accidental exposure of personal or confidential data that could lead to identity theft. As the infographic to the right illustrates (Prinzlau, 2017), the vast majority of data loss is preventable. As a reminder, faculty and staff who have a business need to access the personally identifiable information of students and employees must exercise diligent care to avoid unintentionally exposing that information to identity thieves. Here are some ways to practice diligent care:

• Never post student grades on bulletin boards, websites, or in other public places using Social Security Numbers or Student ID numbers;
• Do not store reports or data containing student or employee personally identifiable information on individual desktops, laptops, portable computing devices, or removable media; and
• Do not needlessly email files or data containing personally identifiable information, as this information can become a part of personal email archive files or inadvertently forwarded to unauthorized individuals.