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The upsides of GPS tracking are obvious to anyone who remembers the days of flipping one-handed through a Rand McNally Atlas while driving. Over time, the many eyes in the sky have helped refine our sense of place on this planet, allowing us to plot our moves in detail. And with the rise of tiny GPS-enabled wearables, we’ve entered an age when getting lost is much harder than finding our way. But as many are finding out, location data cuts both ways. Depending on how the tech

Once upon a time, in the far-off land of Vienna, four student designers decided to embark on a quest to fight for what they considered a noble cause: a more private, just, and equitable internet. Though the foes were formidable and the topics complex, they envisioned the creation of an online fairy tale which would both engage and enlist people in their journey. So goes the creation story of “King GAFA and the Magical 0-1 Crop,” the latest addition to innovative, artistic pro

While I often promote mindfulness as a core tenet of a healthy privacy practice, there are other ways to bring mindfulness into our professional lives. This week I wanted to take a moment to draw attention to the value of mentoring. We have all benefitted from mentors. It is easy to let the demands of a busy professional life eclipse our memory of those who helped us on our journey and temporarily blind us to the opportunity to pay it forward. By pausing, reflecting gratefull

In a world rife with stories of ransomware, identity theft, and corporate security breaches, how do you respond? Do you lean forward to learn more, or do you find yourself turning a blind eye? Has the barrage of threats left you feeling numb or anxious? Have you ever stopped to consciously consider how it makes you feel or behave? As media outlets vie for our attention with shadowy hackers and security scare tactics, many of us feel anxious and powerless. Faced with fear we o

Do you take advantage of public speaking opportunities? If you’ve ever been invited to participate in a panel, speak at a conference, or even present for a small group of professionals, but have felt overwhelmed by your present obligations or intimidated by the idea of facing an audience, I urge you to consider it. I have found the experience rewarding, sometimes in unexpected ways. Recently I had an opportunity to speak on a diversity panel at the 10-year anniversary event f

In the two years since our first post on privacy and the Internet of Things, the number of “smart devices” on the market has exploded. Driven by the ethos that a networked world is universally a better world (or at least a more profitable one), engineers, designers, and marketers have sought to liberate us from traditional (i.e. dumb?) tech. But in this attempt to bring the Internet into every corner of the physical world, are we approaching an absurdist level of connectivity

The first blockbuster augmented reality (AR) game is here, and with it has come profound real-world privacy and security issues. Pokémon Go’s unique blend of nostalgia for the late-90’s media sensation with the popularity of mobile gaming has rocketed the app to the top of every list. On July 12th, 2016 it became the most active mobile game ever, with over 21 million active users. What’s interesting to note about Pokémon Go’s release, however, is how fast privacy and security

An increasing number of products aimed at entertaining and educating children are now network-enabled. Innovative toy designers are harnessing the power of WiFi and cloud-based computing in order to create interactive experiences for children of all ages. While marketers assure parents the information their kids share is secure, two recent news stories have brought to light serious privacy and security concerns when it comes to these “smart toys.” Kids are especially vulnerab

Partnerships have been behind some of the greatest tech success stories in history. Jobs and Wozniak, Gates and Allen, Brin and Page… Apple, Microsoft, and Google as well as companies founded by women entrepreneurs all have partnership stories at their core. Companies which have reimagined our world did so based on rare and powerful teamwork. One of the greatest overlooked opportunities for creating lasting value in companies today is the partnership between IT and privacy pr

You may not have consciously registered it, but do you ever find yourself feeling as though your personal privacy concerns are considered by many to be antiquated or obsolete? Do you ever have the sense that the only way you can embrace new technology is by trading in control over your personal information? Do you ever feel that you are treated as “data” or a “user” rather than as a human being? Let’s start a movement – Privacy for Humans. Privacy for Humans stakes a claim on