Too Long; Didn't Read
‘Privacy’ and ‘Confidentiality’ are two terms that frequently come up when we talk about the security of personal information and how to properly protect it.
They are often used interchangeably but they are not the same.
QA Testing and Healthcare (An Example)
Let’s look at it from a real-life perspective -- where the privacy of a person is crucial.
We will use an example of the average patient in a healthcare organization. This person is an individual who has to give the health organization their consent to process their personal information.
Any information that the patient voluntarily gives to this medical company is considered “private information.” Privacy protects the patient’s rights to declare how much information they are willing to share, as well as the extent to which it is shared.
Alternatively, as a professional institution, the health organization has to guarantee confidentiality and protect personal information from unsanctioned access by others. This guarantee falls under the criteria of “confidentiality.”