Today is Data Privacy Day in the United States, a day set aside for regular folk to take stock of their own personal data security, for companies to educate their employees on ethical data practices, and for governments…actually none of the press releases about the day make any mention of the National Security Agency. Luckily, Senators Chuck Grassley (R-IA) and Patrick Leahy (D-VT) are on the case. Just last Thursday the two leaders of the Judiciary Committee demanded details from Attorney General Eric Holder on new radar technology that allows law enforcement agencies to track the movements of private citizens in their homes. Makes website tracking technology seem a bit banal, doesn’t it?
Nevertheless, several business groups will be using the occasion to look inward and examine the efficacy of their own privacy practices. The Online Trust Alliance (OTA), an organization dedicated to educating businesses and policy makers on best practices, celebrates today as “Data Privacy & Protection Day” and will actually make a week of it with a nationwide series of events featuring frontline privacy experts. OTA membership is comprised of data industry and marketing organizations such as Epsilon, Email Senders, and Symantec.
The tour kicks off in Mountain View, CA, today with talks by FTC Commissioner Terrell McSweeny and Symantec CEO Mike Brown and concludes with a session for Senate and House of Representatives staffers on February 6. In between, an event featuring FTC Commissioner Maureen Ohlhausen will take place in New York on February 3, and one headlined by Commissioner Julie Brill will be presented in Washington on February 5.
Those interested in attending can do so by visiting the OTA website.
