Why our new privacy-related ISO certification matters — and what it means for you

This new ISO certification for HERE's Privacy Information Management Systems and program means that its customers can feel even more assured that their data is being handled in line with the highest privacy standards and care.

From personal information to financial data, so much of the detail of our lives is shared, stored, accessed, and traded or monetized online. Yet, while it would be unimaginable to leave the house without locking the door, many companies and consumers take a more relaxed view when it comes to data privacy.

But that picture is changing and people are waking up to the fact that their privacy matters and has a value that could be exploited. In a 2021 KPMG survey, 86% of people felt a growing concern about data privacy while 40% said they didn't trust companies to “ethically use their data".

They are right to be concerned. In 2019, 4.1 billion data records were compromised in the first six months of the year. For companies, it has become increasingly important to robustly protect their customers' privacy.

See how anonymization can help you.

HERE Technologies takes data privacy seriously and has established a Privacy Information Management System (PIMS) and program that puts privacy and data protection at the core of our products and services. The ISO/IEC 27701:2019 certification demonstrates this commitment and HERE is one of the first mapping technology companies to achieve this.

"These new certificates are extending the PIMS to also cover privacy," said Henri Kujala, HERE's Global Data Privacy Officer. “It means that our customers can rest assured and feel trusted that HERE's privacy program is meeting the standard and that our privacy-by-design approach is externally validated."

“This is essentially making sure that anything that's coming into the HERE platform is safe and secure," added Henri. “That we are following practices that are compliant with the regulations with the intent of making the data private. This effort, and these principles, are then being validated and audited by third parties and they come in the form of various certifications that we receive."

Read more: Privacy and security — a delicate balancing act

In addition to keeping the data safe, private and secure, HERE also offers services to its customers that enable them to achieve greater privacy with their data. This comes in two forms — HERE Anonymizer and HERE Consent Manager. HERE Anonymizer enables customers to use location data at scale while achieving compliance with the necessary privacy standards. Customers can anonymize their data and then use this anonymized data set for the development of location services such as real-time traffic, hazard warnings, or simply to monetize the data to generate additional revenue for the organization.

HERE Consent Manager enables customers to use location-centric data and deliver personalized services to the users. Consent management from HERE is specific to the individual, encompasses when the user gave consent and is applied in near real-time. Via these services, HERE aims to create more transparency and trust among all the participants in the ecosystem.

Learn more about HERE's approach to privacy in our charter and discover HERE Anonymizer.