The practice that should not be followed when storing confidential, sensitive, and/or personal data is to keep personal information directly in the data files. Keeping personal information in data files increases the risk of unauthorized access and potential data breaches. It is essential to keep personal information separate from data files to enhance security measures and protect individuals' privacy.

Reasons not to keep personal information in data files:

• It raises the risk of unauthorized access.
• It can lead to potential breaches of confidentiality.
• Storing personal information separately from data files reduces security risks.

Recommended practices instead:

• Encrypt data before storage and sharing.
• Keep personal identifiers separate (pseudonymization).
• Make data accessible only to authorized persons.
• Use secure environments for physical documents.
• Employ strong access controls such as multi-factor authentication and role-based access control.

Following these guidelines ensures better safeguarding of confidential and sensitive information during storage.