Happy Data Privacy Day — or Data Protection Day, depending on where you are.
This year, there seems to be many more events to celebrate DPD, and more blogs and news sites at least mentioning the day. That’s a Good Thing, but of course, there’s still much to be done in terms of creating a global culture where privacy is both genuinely respected and protected. When PogoWasRight.org opened in 1996, one of the decisions “Ziplock” and I had to make was whether to focus on U.S. privacy news or to tackle a more ambitious goal of looking at privacy news around the world. Although it was, and continues to be, more work to create a global privacy news and issues site, living in a digital world means that if we truly care about privacy, we need to be aware of what happens to our personal information when it leaves our borders, is outsourced, or winds up in possession of those outside the United States.
So what are you doing today to protect your personal privacy or to take it back? Have you signed the Madrid Declaration? If not, get your signature in today by emailing privacy[at]Datos-personales.org
A special kudos today to Beth Givens of the Privacy Rights Clearinghouse. EPIC has given Beth their 2010 US Privacy Champion Award to her:
Established in 1992 to provide information to consumers about privacy issues and to advocate on behalf of consumers, the Privacy Rights Clearinghouse has emerged as a leading defender of privacy rights in the United States. The Privacy Rights Clearinghouse provides extensive services to consumers and makes privacy fact sheets available in both English and Spanish. In receiving the award from EPIC, Ms. Givens was recognized as a “tireless champion for the rights of consumers.”
And now, back to our regularly scheduled programming.