January 28, 2026
Email from Keith Werner, CIO
Dear Faculty and Staff,
Data Privacy Week is Jan. 26 through Feb. 1. It serves as a reminder that protecting personal and institutional information is everyone’s responsibility.
This year’s theme, “Take Control of Your Data,” encourages everyone to be proactive about data literacy and privacy.
Ways to take control of your data
1. Know what you share: Review the data you collect, store and share in your device settings.
2. Protect your information: Use strong passwords and enable multi-factor authentication when available. Always store sensitive and confidential university files in approved systems.
3. Prompt responsibly: Avoid entering sensitive, confidential or proprietary university data into public AI tools. Information shared with AI chatbots can often be used to train future models, making it part of the public domain.
4. Understand privacy settings: Check privacy settings on platforms and tools you use for professional and personal use.
5. Be alert: Phishing, social engineering and accidental disclosures are common threats. Report suspicious activity to phish@appstate.edu.
By practicing good data habits, you help protect your own information and the university’s resources and reputation.
Resources
- Data Privacy and Security Measures Checklist: Review best practices for devices, apps, internet browsing, email and social media
- KnowBe4 training platform: Log in with your App State email address to access free videos and an interactive game on data privacy
- National Cybersecurity Alliance:
Support and questions
- Visit the Training page on the Data at App State website for details on university data use and role-based training
- Contact your division's data steward (login required)
- Report a data or privacy security concern
Let’s work together to keep our data safe!
Data Privacy Week 2026 Champion Badge
Take Control of Your Data