Energy companies are responsible for distributing energy to the end consumer, regardless of the type. Wherever consumers and companies exist, privacy always comes into play. In other words, privacy is present in all sectors that serve the public.
Recent case involving an energy company
To better contextualize the search for privacy, nothing is more evident than a case in Brazil. In the year 2020, the ENEL SP [The company] was involved in a data breach. It was estimated that the breach affected nearly 290 customers in Osasco. According to news reports, a great deal of personal information was exposed.
Among the personal information collected were: name, gender, CPF (Brazilian tax identification number), date of birth, phone number, email, and address. In addition to other information, such as average energy consumption. The company notified the public about the case and warned those affected not to comply with any requests that might contain personal or confidential data.
Concerns about distribution services and their cybersecurity.
Distribution services for a large part of the population are targeted by hackers due to the value of their confidential data. This information is very valuable and can be used to carry out other scams.
The search by cybercriminals for large data systems is a potentially lucrative strategy. In other words, companies that provide services to the public are perfect targets for such criminals who exploit vulnerabilities and loopholes.
With the LGPD (Brazilian General Data Protection Law), companies are obligated to work on the security and protection of systems containing personal data. In short, the law promotes the adoption of best practices aimed at security and respect for individual freedom.
The importance of data protection in the energy sector.
Data protection in the energy distribution sector is crucial to ensure customer privacy and information security. Some measures that can be adopted include the use of encryption to protect transmitted information and the implementation of clear and transparent privacy policies.
Furthermore, regular security testing is necessary to identify vulnerabilities, and user authentication technologies, such as biometrics, should be adopted to ensure that only authorized individuals have access to confidential information.
Some data is essential to providing the service.
The energy company must limit itself to the principle of necessity and only provide the necessary and commonly selected data for processing. However, other legal bases also exist:
Data subject consent: Energy distributors may request the consent of patients, and to collect and process your personal data for specific purposes, such as billing and providing services.
Compliance with a legal or regulatory obligation: They may collect and process consumers' personal data to comply with legal or regulatory obligations, such as providing consumption information to the National Electric Energy Agency (ANEEL).
Legitimate interest: Personal data of customers may be collected and processed based on legitimate interest, provided that the privacy and rights of data subjects are respected. For example, to ensure the security of the electrical system and prevent fraud.
