Which practice is most likely to violate privacy and data protection principles in cross-border data sharing?

• A. Data minimization.
• B. Openly sharing data with no restrictions.
• C. Data sharing without consent or privacy protections.
• D. Storing data locally only.

Answer: (D)

Privacy in cross-border data sharing hinges on giving people control over their data, collecting only what’s needed, and imposing safeguards to protect it as it moves between jurisdictions. When data is shared without obtaining clear consent and without implementing privacy protections, it breaks those expectations. People may not know how their data will be used, who will access it, or where it will end up, and weaker safeguards across borders can make data more vulnerable to misuse, unauthorized access, or new legal exposures. That combination—no consent and no protections—creates the highest risk to individuals’ privacy when data crosses borders.

Data minimization, by contrast, strengthens privacy by reducing what is collected and processed, so it’s protective rather than risky. Openly sharing data with no restrictions clearly exacerbates privacy risks and is inappropriate in cross-border contexts. Storing data locally limits cross-border exposure and generally aligns with privacy goals, since the data isn’t being transferred across borders.