Privacy : How it is going?

 

Over the past few years, data privacy has evolved from “nice to have” to a business imperative and critical boardroom issue. Today, people are asking more questions about how their personal data is used, and they now view privacy as an important component of a company’s brand. Privacy regulations like the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) have raised awareness and enforcement of privacy, and this is compelling organizations to better manage and protect personal data to avoid significant fines and penalties.

• Most organizations are seeing very positive returns on their privacy investments, and more than 40% are seeing benefits at least twice that of their privacy spend.
• Strong correlations between organizations’ privacy accountability and lower breach costs, shorter sales delays, and higher financial returns.
• The percentage of organizations saying they receive significant business benefits from privacy (e.g., operational efficiency, agility, and innovation) has grown to over 70%.
• The vast majority (82%) of organizations view privacy certifications such as ISO 27701 and IAPP certified professionals as a buying factor when selecting a product or vendor in their supply chain. 

Good privacy is indeed good for business and individuals.

SS

Working parents underwater

 

Working while parenting has always been shaky. Then the pandemic hit, and whatever little structure there was came tumbling down. Suddenly, the working parent struggle was laid bare, news articles and desperate comment threads detailing parents in meetings while entertaining toddlers; working while supervising restless grade schoolers and virtual lessons; burning out worrying all if of this will go on forever. It’s never been harder to work and raise children. The ripples could be with employees for years.

·       1/3 of families have had one parent leave the workforce.

·       1-in-5 do not know whether they’ll be able to come back.

·       60% say caregiving duties stand in their way.

And for working mothers, it has been especially disastrous — a whole generation of professional women watching hard-won accomplishments evaporate and losing precious time they will never get back.

11.3 million women’s jobs lost in a single month, wiping out all their gains of the past decade.

And it is not just parents of young children at risk. American parents stand to lose even more productivity as more school districts limit how many students will return to the classroom for the upcoming school year. In fact, far from solving working parent problems, back-to-school will likely add new ones, with erratic education schedules (assuming there’s any school at all) creating constantly changing care needs which could be hardest to fix.

Yet even as the movement toward reopening workplaces rolls on, few employers have made plans. And care shortages promise to make arrangements harder for employees to find on their own. Post-pandemic, the number of available childcare spaces could shrink by as much as 50%. More than two-thirds — 23.5 million working parents— have no potential caregivers at all, putting millions of employees at risk.

2020 is a year of a lifetime. So be strong, keep patience and stay encouraged.

-SS

Working remotely - A new norm

 

In this COVID era, working remotely has become the norm. Its not only an option (or workaround) but a requirement. Whether a home, a coffee shop, a hotel, your car, or any other location, technology has allowed us to work remotely while continuing to collaborate with our peers.

There are some organizational and personal consideration for remote work.

Organizational considerations - 

• Creating a "work remotely" policy
• Securing your computer
• Protecting your network connection
• Establishing strong passwords
• Use your mobile devices only when required
• Handle confidential papers/files properly

Personal considerations - 

• Setting up a home workspace
• Protecting your personal information
• Guarding against scams

I am sure things will change post-COVID environment but it would be interesting to see how much and at what ratio?

SS

5 biggest GDPR fines so far (2020)

 

• Total number of GDPR fines - 432
• Largest fine - 50 Million Euros (Google Inc.)
• Smallest fine - 28 Euros (Google Ireland Ltd.)
• Number of GDPR fines by country
• Spain - 144
• Romania - 41
• Hungry - 32
• Italy - 31
• Germany - 27
• 5 biggest GDPR fines in 2020
• Google Inc - 50 Million Euros
• H&M Hennes & Mauritz - 35200000 Euros
• TIM Telecom Provider - 27800000 Euros
• British Airways - 21900000 Euros
• Marriott International - 20450000 Euros

This is the up to date and current list of biggest GDPR fines so far, but the list is constantly changing indicating a lot of activities from data protection authorities.

SS

Time crafting during pandemic

 

• Create a commute. Don’t just roll out of bed and head straight to your workstation. Spend 15 minutes gearing up for work — but not actually working — to give yourself mental space between your personal time and the start of your workday.

• Take work-ish breaks. This is separate from the breaks you should already be taking to completely step away from your workstation. During pandemic, the “bounce time” — the informal time at work during which people bounce ideas off one another — has largely gone missing. Allow time for breaks and gaps between the formal parts of your job to have some idle water-cooler chat with your colleagues.

• Establish an end-of-day ritual. A positive ritual at the end of the day can reinforce that you’re out of work mode and your personal time has begun. Even something as simple as planning a walk around the block or setting aside time to call a friend will work. You just want something that will be a buffer between work time and personal time you can look forward to.

• Post your schedule at home. Time management is now a communal endeavor and letting the people you live know your schedule can help everyone understand and know the boundaries between work and personal time.

The Unique Power of Sharing Emotions at Work

 

Discussing emotions at work can feel out of place or "unprofessional" for leaders and teams. And yet, everyone has feelings - anxiety about COVID, disappointments about changed plans in 2020, frustration with coworkers, family issues, and more.

Instead of being a distraction, talking about and sharing emotions at work is a key part of building a sense of belongings and trust on teams. And by helping teammates acknowledge and process their emotions, leaders can increase the effectiveness of their team, helping then to get more done, and feel better.

Sometimes, it feels odd when the other person in your office starts sharing these types of talks but the best way to handle this situation is to listen, understand and empathy. There are some people (like me) who can handle these situations and never share feelings with someone in the office. But those who are sharing means they are in trouble and wants some help/guidance/suggestions.

SS

Privacy engineering in a nutshell

Privacy engineering is the technical side of the privacy profession. Privacy engineers ensure that privacy considerations are integrated into product design. The longer answer is that it depends who you ask. Some practitioners view it as process management and others see it more as technical knowhow. Both views seem equally valid and integral. Privacy engineers today work as part of product teams, design teams, IT teams, security teams, and yes, sometimes even legal or compliance teams.

We need practitioners who understand technology and [are] able to integrate perspectives that span product design, software development, cyber security, human computer interaction, as well as business and legal considerations.