1. A method of protecting a mobile computing device and private data stored therein, comprising: providing an interface adapted to receive user-specified configuration information from an authorized user of the mobile computing device; upon receipt from the authorized user of the user-specified configuration information via the interface, configuring a data protection profile for the authorized user that identifies at least one event, and at least one action to be taken with respect to the private data specified in the data protection profile upon occurrence of the at least one event; determining whether the at least one event identified in the data protection profile has occurred; when the at least one event identified in the data protection profile has occurred, enforcing the at least one action to inhibit unauthorized access on the mobile computing device to the private data specified in the data protection profile; and overriding the data protection profile and thereby ceasing determination of whether the at least one event identified in the data protection profile has occurred upon receipt of other data indicative of a user-configured action; wherein the configuring, determining, enforcing and overriding operations are carried out in software executing in a hardware element.