The Brazilian government has launched a data protection guide as part of efforts to raise awareness on the issue among the general public.

The 19-page guide entitled "How to protect your personal data" was developed by the National Consumer Defense Council, in partnership with the National Data Protection Authority (ANPD).

Using simplified language and avoiding the excess of technical jargon, the material outlines examples of situations where treatment of data might be possible, and when it is legal to do so.

The document also explains what are the principles that underpin data treatment in Brazil, and how these guidelines comply with the country's General Data Protection Regulations (LGPD), which is also broadly explained. A list of topics summing up how organizations should act in relation to personal data is also provided.

Moreover, the document issued by the Brazilian government agencies outlines the rights of data holders, such as knowing whether their personal data will be treated and for what purpose, of accessing their own data if it is being treated, as well as asking for anonymization, revoking authorization to data access, and even the exclusion of data from a database.

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The material offers suggestions of how data holders can protect their personal information, including the use of two-factor authentication, data backups and encryption. It also provides the steps that should be taken in case of incidents relating to personal data.

Fostering a data protection culture with material aimed at the general public is one of the first objectives of the ANPD, which published its strategy in February. According to the initial plan of the data protection authority, strategic actions will include educational events and workshops around the theme, as well as guides and recommendations relating to the data protection subject, and dialog with actors inside and outside government to build strategic partnerships for the studies to be carried out.

A study published at the end of 2020 by Brazilian credit intelligence company Boa Vista suggested that consumers in Brazil are mostly unaware of the country's data protection rules and fail to question companies' personal data management practices.

More recently -- and especially the emergence of the largest data leak on record in Brazil -- there has been a growing concern with relation to personal data security. A report by Datafolha Institute published in July 2021, suggested Brazilians are worried about what happens to their data, despite knowing that companies they interact with keep some type of information about their consumption and leisure habits.

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