Top 10 Data Protection Courses

In today’s world of interconnected systems, national data protection is of utmost importance. Almost every day, we hear about organizations suffering from hacks or data breaches. These types of incidents can have a severe impact on both the organization and the users who lose their data because of it. 

To try and counter the rise in cybersecurity incidents, many governments have enacted data protection laws. We can see this most clearly in the European Parliament’s and European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). Even in countries that do not strictly enforce data laws, companies often want to standardize their data protection practices to seamlessly operate across borders.

In this article, we will take a look at how you can learn about data protection from free online courses. So, let’s get started!

Data Protection Course #1 – GDPR Regulation for Individuals

The best place to learn about data protection is on the SC Training (formerly EdApp) platform. You can freely use and edit their GDPR Regulation for Individuals course to teach both yourself and others in your organization about data protection. It discusses the importance of GDPR and its effects on people and organizations. In this course, you’ll learn the benefits of protecting your data on a personal level and why it matters in instances where your information is being collected and shared with other entities.

If you are in charge of training in your organization, you can easily set up learners to use this course. You can even make changes to it if you want, through its intuitive authoring tools. Once your learners are all set up, they can easily take part in the course using any device they like because SC Training (formerly EdApp)’s interface is designed to be mobile-first.

Data Protection Course #2 – PCI-DSS Requirements

Another informative data protection course is the PCI DSS Requirements course on SC Training (formerly EdApp). This course delves into the requirements for the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI-DSS). It is five lessons long and is completely free to use and edit.

This course is great because of all the interactive elements it has, such as the numerous quiz types and presentation methods. You can also take advantage of all of SC Training (formerly EdApp)’s innovative features, such as microlearning and spaced repetition (by request only). This means that users can have their content delivered to them at optimal learning times for better retention. It makes learning with SC Training (formerly EdApp) one of the top learning experiences available.

Data Protection Course #3 – General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Executive Briefing

Another course for learning to comply with data protection is the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR): Executive Briefing on Pluralsight. This is a course designed for executives so that they can better understand how the GDPR will affect their business.

The course is only 23 minutes long, so it does not go into depth on the issue. It also does not have the benefit of being run on a sophisticated LMS like SC Training (formerly EdApp) which can push out content in microlessons or add gamification.

Data Protection Course #4 – The European Charter of Fundamental Rights and Data Protection in the European Legal framework

You can also learn about data protection from the course The European Charter of Fundamental Rights and Data Protection in the European Legal Framework at the Global Campus of Human Rights. This course aims to teach students about the most relevant aspects of the GDPR, in particular the rights of users and obligations of data controllers.

This is a five-week course that requires over seven hours of study per week. It is a free course and provides a certificate upon completion. However, it is not always open to enrollment, like many other online courses. So, you must find an appropriate time to enroll.

Data Protection Course #5 – Introduction to GDPR: General Data Protection Regulation

You can also learn about data protection from the course called Introduction to GDPR: General Data Protection Regulation hosted on the FutureLearn platform. This course covers the law and history, the rights of individuals, and the data lifecycle.

It is a three-week course that requires two hours of study per week. Learning on a social learning platform like FutureLearn can be beneficial because you can connect with other learners from all over the world. This type of collaborative learning can help motivate learners as well as give new perspectives.

Data Protection Course #6 – Understanding the GDPR

You can also learn about European data protection from the course Understanding the GDPR, which is also hosted on FutureLearn. Topics include general principles of the GDPR, user rights, obligations of data controllers, enforcement mechanisms, and liabilities and sanctions.

This course is offered by an authoritative source—the University of Groningen—and lasts for four weeks, with each week having 3 hours of study. The course includes short videos, articles, audio, and activities. Completing the course will earn you a certificate of achievement if you have joined the site and paid a course fee.

Data Protection Course #7 – Privacy Law and Data Protection

You can also learn about data protection law in the course Privacy Law and Data Protection, which is on the Coursera platform. Here, governing laws as stated in the EU data protection and data protection act will be discussed. Fines and penalties resulting from the breach of the protection act and unlawful data-processing of personal information will also be discussed as well as proper protocols for breach notification. Being on Coursera has many advantages, including shareable certificates, multiple language support, and an affiliation with a well-renowned university (University of Pennsylvania).

It is a four-week course that covers legal issues in privacy, HIPAA, breach notifications, and other privacy concerns. Each week includes video lectures along with readings and quizzes.

Data Protection Course #8 – Security and Privacy for Big Data Part 1

Another data protection directive course from Coursera is Security and Privacy for Big Data – Part 1. This rights and freedoms course will get you familiarized with identifiable security issues related to big data systems. You will also learn about privacy laws, data protection legislation, and data protection rules enacted by data protection authorities.

The course only takes one hour to complete and consists of 10 videos and 3 practice exercises. However, it leads up to a Part 2 course which goes into more depth about topics like anonymization and encryption.

Data Protection Course #9 – GDPR Ready

Another data protection course is GDPR Ready from IAPP. IAPP offers bundles of courses that can prepare you for the data protection laws in various locations, so it is not just limited to Europe. For example, you can also take courses on Canadian and U.S. privacy regulations.

Completing a course from the IAAP will give you a Certified Information Privacy Professional (CIPP) certificate. These certificates also come with specializations depending on which region you study for making you compliant with GDPR training.

Data Protection Course #10 – EU GDPR Data Protection Officer Course

One last course to consider is Advisera’s EU GDPR Data Protection Officer Course. This data protection authority course is a beginner-level course but will prepare you to become a data protection officer and commissioner to uphold European commission data privacy, prevent any data breach, and ensure information-security and privacy shield which can be the start of a lucrative career as a supervisory authority.

The course is 15 hours long and includes video lectures, articles, and practice exams. Completing the course will earn you a certificate. You can also continue your studies in cybersecurity training by choosing other courses on the topic at the Advisera website, such as Security Awareness Training and Security Management Systems.