On Wednesday, the United States, Canada, and 27 European countries will celebrate Data Privacy Day -- an international effort to raise awareness and generate discussion about data privacy practices and rights. For the second consecutive year, privacy professionals, the business community, government officials, academics and others will host events and take other actions in observance. The House on Monday got the ball rolling by approving a resolution by Rep. David Price, D-N.C., to formally recognize the event.
The Technology Association of America, the recently merged group formed by the Information Technology Association of America and the American Electronics Association, will host a Capitol Hill briefing featuring remarks by Price and Member of European Parliamentarian Alexander Alvaro as well as key representatives of the privacy community. A networking reception will follow.
Other Data Privacy Day activities:
▪ Protecting National Security and Privacy: Approaches of New Administrations in the U.S. and Europe, Sanford Institute of Public Policy, Duke University, Jan. 26-27.
▪ The Privacy by Design Challenge hosted by the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario and the Toronto Board of Trade, Jan. 28
▪ Data Privacy Day Cocktail Event, Brussels, Belgium, organized by European Privacy Officers Forum and International Association of Privacy Professionals, Jan. 28.
▪ Microsoft will host an interactive community event highlighting online privacy concerns and solutions at the San Francisco Public Library, Jan. 28.
Read a comprehensive list of events here.
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Data privacy day? No wonder breaches continue - it's Data Privacy Millennium. Price Waterhouse Cooper and Carnegie-Mellon’s CyLab have recent surveys that show the senior executive class to be, basically, clueless regarding IT risk and its tie to overall enterprise (business) risk. Data breaches and thefts are due to a lagging business culture – absent a new eCulture, breaches will, and continue to, increase. As CIO, I look for ways to help my business and IT teams further their education. Check your local library: A book that is required reading is "I.T. WARS: Managing the Business-Technology Weave in the New Millennium." It also helps outside agencies understand your values and practices.
The author, David Scott, has an interview that is a great exposure: www dot businessforum dot com/DScott_02 dot html -
The book came to us as a tip from an intern who attended a course at University of Wisconsin, where the book is an MBA text. It has helped us to understand that, while various systems of security are important, no system can overcome laxity, ignorance, or deliberate intent to harm. Necessary is a sustained culture and awareness; an efficient prism through which every activity is viewed from a security perspective prior to action.
In the realm of risk, unmanaged possibilities become probabilities – read the book BEFORE you suffer a bad outcome.