Sarah Lewis Cortes, CIPP/E, CIPM, CIPT, FIP

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Netflix

Ph.D., Cybersecurity and Privacy Engineering

Dr. Sarah Lewis Cortes CIPP/E (GDPR), CISSP, is in Privacy Engineering/Information Security at Netflix, responsible for comprehensive privacy programs. She earned her degrees at Harvard University, studied Forensic Sciences at Boston University Medical School, and holds a PhD in Computer Science, Cybersecurity from Northeastern University, specializing in the darknet, anonymous network communications, privacy and privacy law as well as information security, topics on which she has published extensively.

Sarah helped draft the first-ever US data breach law, 2008, in Massachusetts, and testified before the legislature on MGL 93H. She also testified before Office of Consumer Affairs & Business Regulation on privacy regulations, including 201 CMR 17.00.

As part of the NIST Privacy/Security Working Group 2009-2016, she co-authored the NIST 7628, Smart Grid Security, Privacy Standards in 2010/2014.

She conducts training and research with the FBI, Interpol, the Alameda County Sheriff’s Office Digital Forensics Crime Lab, and other LEAs. Prior to undertaking her PhD, Sarah was Sr VP, Security, IT Audit/DR, Putnam Investments, a $1 trillion investment management firm. Before that, Sarah was Sr VP, Data Center/Security Operations, BNY Mellon/American Express, a $1.6 trillion global investments company.

Sarah has published and lectured extensively on privacy, the darknet, and security, including LISA USENIX and other keynotes. She has implemented numerous computer applications. Together with Department Chair, Boston University School of Medicine, Biomedical Forensic Sciences Dept. and former Cellmark lab director Dr. Robin Cotton, Sarah implemented DOJ- NIJ DNA Mixtures Online, with a grant from the US Department of Justice. DNA Mixtures was highlighted in the recent Executive Office of the President, President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST), Report to the President: Forensic Science in Criminal Courts: Ensuring Scientific Validity of Feature-Comparison Methods.

 

Contributions by Sarah Lewis Cortes

  • PETs JETs: Practical Differential Privacy & De-ID Deployment
    Speaker at IAPP Global Privacy Summit 2024
  • What Do You Mean by Anonymization? An Exemplary Legal & Tech Conversation
    Speaker at IAPP Global Privacy Summit 2023
  • Privacy Engineering Section Forum
    Forum Speaker at IAPP Global Privacy Summit 2023
  • Member of Privacy Engineering Section Advisory Board 2023 - 2024
  • Silicon Valley Goes Privacy Engineering: Common challenges and new approaches
    Speaker at In-Person Silicon Valley KnowledgeNet: November 29, 2022
  • Practical Differential Privacy: How Real is it for your Organization?
    Moderator at IAPP Privacy. Security. Risk. 2022
  • Privacy Engineering Section Forum
    Forum Speaker at IAPP Privacy. Security. Risk. 2022
  • Practical Differential Privacy: To DP or not DP: How to Decide What’s Right For…
    Speaker at IAPP Privacy. Security. Risk. 2021
  • Differential Privacy: Practical Overview and Implementation
    Web Conference Speaker
  • Member of Privacy Engineering Section Advisory Board 2020 - 2021