Data Privacy Day: Take control of your digital footprint

Protecting personal data online has never mattered more. Data Privacy Day, celebrated annually on Jan. 28 as part of Data Privacy Week (Jan. 26-30), is an opportunity to empower individuals and businesses to respect privacy, safeguard data and enable trust. Bread Financial® Head of Privacy Sarah Spradling recently shared her perspective on keeping data secure and embracing this year’s theme: “Take control of your data.”

What is data privacy and why is it such an important function at Bread Financial? How is it different from data security?

Data privacy relates to how personally identifiable information like a Social Security number, date of birth or address, is collected, stored and used. It also includes managing elements like your digital footprint, website tracking and cookies, ensuring data is collected responsibly. As a financial services company, collecting personal information is necessary for business, but we must also ensure we’re compliant in how we collect, use and share information.

Data security is the set of tools and processes we use to defend that information from threats or accidents. For example, our privacy program ensures we only collect data we truly need, while our cybersecurity program means we monitor for and defend against suspicious activity around the clock. Both are critical, and neither works well without the other.

What does taking control of data look like at Bread Financial?

We view taking control as an ongoing commitment, not a one-time project. Our team is always looking ahead and adapting our privacy and security measures to meet evolving regulations and industry standards. That means regularly reviewing our practices, transparently communicating with customers about how their information is used and integrating feedback to strengthen our programs and products. This proactive approach helps maintain trust and gives our customers peace of mind.

What practical steps can people take today to control and safeguard their data?

Small habits add up to powerful results. Pause before you share personal information online, and don’t agree to terms or cookies before checking how your data will be used. Check your apps and social accounts at least twice a year for privacy setting updates. Use unique, complex passwords for every account — a password manager can make this much simpler. Most importantly, enable multi-factor authentication wherever possible. And remember to delete apps or services you no longer use; unused accounts can be an easy target for hackers.

What about companies and associates, how can they support a privacy-first mindset?

While delivering best-in-class products and experiences is a business imperative for Bread Financial, privacy and security are foundational to our responsible business practices.  Companies must strike a careful balance between data collection and respecting customer privacy, ensuring they gather only what’s necessary while maintaining transparency and trust. At Bread Financial, we take it one step further by promoting a risk-aware culture, and every associate is trained from day one to handle customer data with care. When everyone feels responsible, privacy becomes stronger across the organization.

To learn more about Bread Financial’s approach to data privacy, read the latest Sustainability Report.