But Why A.I.?

During this past week we celebrated Data Privacy Day. As we usually do, Privacy Ref offered a free two hour presentation to introduce privacy to anyone interested. With over a hundred attendees, there were some great questions. One that was of particular interest was surrounding emerging topics f...

My Mother Understands

Throughout my years in IT, product management, software development, and systems analysis, my Mother never understood what I do. It hasn’t been her fault, but mine; I couldn’t explain in “plain English” what I did. Since becoming a privacy professional she now understands....

Human Errors Will Create Privacy Issues

Regardless of the technology you put in place, the safeguards you have implemented, and the training you have provided, ultimately the success of your privacy program relies on the individuals in your organization. The most recent example of this came at the expense of the US National Women’...

I smell a data breach

At the very end of August I changed banks for both personal and business accounts. Of course we received the obligatory debit cards, a total of 4 of them. Last week we began receiving notices of “Unusual Debit Card Activity”.

Tom Brady, Joe Namath, and Privacy

Like many Americans I grew up idolizing football players, quarterbacks in particular. Joe Namath and Tom Brady are among those I have enjoyed watching play. Who would of thought that these two men who played in different eras would provide examples for a privacy discussion for business.

I (physically) lost my license

I travel frequently; about 80% of the time I find myself on the road to visit a client or speak at an event. Last Friday I made my way to the airport, stepped up to the TSA security desk and discovered my license was missing. I had another government issued photo ID with me so I […]

You can lead a friend to water…

Yes, I admit I have a Facebook account. I even belong to a group or two. One of a group’s members seemed to be asking for way to much personal information over the past few weeks, but the other members really don’t seem to care.

A Privacy Pro and Wearable Technology

Privacy professionals, including myself, have been warning of the dangers to privacy from wearable technology. The concerns I have been expressing have been based on reported product capabilities, anecdotal evidence, and published reports. So when I had the opportunity to join the Google Glass Ex...

Mobile phones, airplanes, and business privacy

The thought of air travel with someone nearby holding a conversation on a mobile phone is not pleasant (to say the least). I began to think about those people I typically see today holding last minute conversations, the ones just before the airplane doors close, and wondered about the impact on b...