IAPP: 10 Years and Counting
Ten years ago, desktop computers ran on Pentium III chips and home broadband was a novelty. But even then, some people recognized the coming ability of businesses to amass personal information about web users – and the need for safeguards.
Today marks the 10th anniversary of the founding of the International Association of Privacy Professionals. From a rather inauspicious beginning, IAPP has grown to include 6,000 members. In the process, it has helped businesses across every sector recognize privacy’s key role in ensuring public trust. It also successfully promoted the trend in having senior level privacy officers develop and oversee practices.
To commemorate its 10th anniversary, IAPP has published a white paper predicting that “The next 10 years will see more types of data collected from more people, and more privacy laws in more places.” Specifically, it looks at several global business trends: cloud computing, smart grids, health information networks, and government and private domestic security policies. In every instance, IAPP notes, there will be a need for constantly evolving privacy rules which often must apply across international boundaries.
Given these challenges, as IAPP president (and FPF Advisory Board Member) Nuala O’Connor Kelly notes, the success factors for tomorrow’s privacy professionals will have to include “making the case for privacy in positive, measurable terms, [understanding] technology [and] gaining international experience and cross-cultural literacy.”
The Internet’s growth has made it easier than ever for consumers to find out whether a company values its customers’ privacy and to make purchasing decisions accordingly. IAPP has set forth a useful paper to help guide businesses seeking help in navigating a rapidly evolving area at the nexus of law, technology and public attitudes.
