Data privacy matters more than ever. If your business handles personal information — names, addresses, Social Security numbers, or credit card details — you have a legal and ethical duty to protect it. That’s true whether you run a county recorder’s office, a title company, or a small local business.

At Public Records Safety, we help counties and data professionals manage public land records safely and responsibly. Part of that work means understanding the data privacy laws that apply to everyone — and what happens when they are ignored.

The Numbers Tell the Story

The risks are real. Here is what the data shows:

• The cost of a data breach in the United States averages $9.48 million — the highest in the world (IBM, 2023).
• 83% of organizations have experienced more than one data breach.
• It takes an average of 277 days to find and stop a breach after it starts.
• According to the Cisco Consumer Privacy Survey, 73% of consumers say they would stop using a company after a privacy incident.
• Over 2.6 billion personal records were exposed in data breaches in 2023 alone (Identity Theft Resource Center).

These numbers represent real people — customers, employees, and community members — whose Social Security numbers, financial information, and personal data ended up in the wrong hands.

1. Know What Data You Are Holding

The first step in data privacy compliance is knowing what data you actually have.

Personal identifying information — or PII — is any data that can identify a specific person. It includes:

• Full names and home addresses
• Social Security numbers and government ID numbers
• Dates of birth
• Credit card and bank account numbers
• Financial information such as income or transaction records
• Email addresses and phone numbers

In the public land records world, this type of information shows up constantly. Deeds, property transfers, and court filings often contain names, addresses, and financial details. When those records are pulled in bulk by automated systems, sensitive data can be exposed quickly and without warning.

A simple rule: only collect the data you need, and delete it when you no longer need it. Less data held means less risk.

2. Data Privacy Laws Apply to Your Business

Many business owners assume data privacy regulations only apply to big tech companies. That is not true. Data privacy laws now cover businesses of almost every size — including those working with public land records.

Here is a plain-language overview:

General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) The GDPR is a data protection law from the European Union. It is one of the toughest privacy laws in the world. If your business handles data from anyone in the EU — even a website visitor — the GDPR may apply to you. Data subjects have the right to see, correct, and delete their data. Fines can reach 4% of total annual revenue or €20 million, whichever is higher.

California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) The CCPA is California’s main data privacy law. It gives residents the right to know what data is collected about them, ask for it to be deleted, and opt out of having it sold. Fines can reach $7,500 per intentional violation. More than a dozen other states have passed similar laws.

Other Key U.S. Laws

• FCRA — controls how financial information is used in hiring, lending, and housing decisions
• HIPAA — protects health and medical records
• GLBA — requires financial businesses to safeguard customer financial information
• State law variations — Virginia, Colorado, Texas, and others all have their own data protection laws

Public Land Records and Privacy Compliance Public records are not a free-for-all. Laws like Marsy’s Law protect the personal data of crime victims from appearing in searchable county records. Law enforcement and government agencies have their own rules about how records can be used. Intellectual property protections may also apply to compiled record databases. Businesses working with public land records must take all of these layers seriously.

3. What Happens When Legal Compliance Breaks Down

Ignoring data privacy regulations has real consequences. When legal compliance fails, businesses face:

• Regulatory fines — CCPA violations alone can run into the millions of dollars
• Lawsuits from affected customers and data subjects
• Mandatory breach notifications to every person whose data was exposed
• Loss of government contracts and county partnerships
• Reputational damage that can take years to recover from

Legal compliance is not just about avoiding punishment. It is about protecting the people your business serves and keeping your operations running without interruption.

4. The Real Cost of a Data Breach

When a data breach happens, the financial hit is just the start. The disruption can last for months.

Here is what typically follows a breach:

• A forensic investigation to find out what happened and what was exposed
• Required notifications to affected individuals — often within 60 to 72 hours under state law
• Regulatory filings under applicable data privacy laws
• Credit monitoring services for customers whose Social Security numbers or credit card information was exposed
• Legal counsel to handle lawsuits and liability
• Public communications to reassure customers and protect consumers’ confidence

According to the Cisco Consumer Privacy Survey, nearly three in four consumers will walk away from a business after a privacy incident. For county offices and title firms, that means delayed closings, lost clients, and damaged relationships with local governments.

Strong data protection is not just a legal requirement — it is how you keep your business running.

5. Data Subjects Have Rights You Must Respect

Under most modern data privacy laws, the people whose information you hold — called data subjects — have specific rights. Your business is required to honor them.

Those rights include:

• The right to know what data is collected and why
• The right to access a copy of their personal information
• The right to correct mistakes in their records
• The right to delete their data (the “right to be forgotten”)
• The right to opt out of having their data sold or shared
• The right to be notified promptly if their data is exposed in a breach

Businesses that ignore these rights face fines, lawsuits, and the loss of trust. Businesses that follow them build loyalty and reduce their legal risk.

6. Trust Is Your Competitive Edge

Data privacy is not just a legal issue — it is a trust issue. And trust is slow to build and fast to lose.

A 2023 Pew Research study found that 67% of Americans feel they have little control over what companies do with their data. That uncertainty makes people cautious. When a business proves it takes privacy seriously, customers notice.

Businesses with strong privacy compliance tend to:

• Keep customers longer because people feel safe sharing their information
• Win more referrals from clients who recommend trustworthy partners
• Stand out when counties and government agencies choose data partners
• Reduce the risk of costly data breaches and the legal bills that come with them

For organizations working with public land records, this matters even more. Counties and local governments need partners who will not expose sensitive information or break state law. A single privacy failure can end a relationship built over years.

What Public Records Safety Stands For

Public Records Safety works with county administrators and local data professionals to protect public land records systems. That means stopping uncontrolled bot traffic, supporting privacy compliance with laws like Marsy’s Law, and preserving fair access to public records for the professionals who depend on them.

Data privacy is central to that mission. When automated systems scrape bulk data from county portals, they do not just slow down servers — they can expose personal identifying information that was never meant to be public. Protecting that data means protecting real people in real communities.

The Bottom Line

Data privacy is not a one-time task. It is an ongoing commitment. Businesses that follow data privacy laws, respect data subjects’ rights, and stay ahead of data privacy regulations are better protected — legally, financially, and reputationally.

With the cost of a data breach approaching $9.5 million per incident, and data privacy regulations tightening across both the United States and the European Union, there has never been a better time to take privacy seriously.

To learn how Public Records Safety helps counties and data professionals stay compliant and protected, visit publicrecordssafety.com.

Frequently Asked Questions About Data Privacy