Data breaches over the past several years have devastated nearly every country across the globe. With millions of records lost or stolen, and over 15 million lost in just 10 months of 2022, it is clear that the data crisis is real. Nearly two thirds, or 64% of all breaches have occurred in the United States, with many states putting up alarming numbers pertaining to data loss.

California, Oregon, and Maryland sit at the top in terms of most data loss, with Georgia and Virginia following closely behind. Even the least compromised states are reporting thousands if not millions of compromised records. Experts believe that the most common causes of this data loss is human error, malware, and unexpected events like software failure or natural disasters. In addition, these issues are not exclusive to countries, as many retailers and industries have also reported an increased frequency and severity of attempted cyber attacks.

Between 2021 and 2022, over 5,000 global businesses experience confirmed data loss. Finance, healthcare, public administration, manufacturing, and transportation are currently the leading industries that suffer from these grievances. However, data loss has been a problem for humans for years, with the destruction of important libraries and religious texts being present throughout history.

Data loss is both a global and historical certainty, making it clear why so many experts consider it imperative to have a plan to protect personal data at all costs.