This year's Privacy. Security. Risk. 2018 saw thousands flock to Austin, all keen to hear the latest thoughts on the California Consumer Privacy Act, finally find out who will take home the HPE-IAPP Innovation Award and get some serious networking accomplished. We get it, some privacy pros couldn't make this year. To fend off any potential FOMO (Fear of Missing Out), here is a list of the top news that came out of P.S.R. 2018 to keep you in the loop. 

Oct. 19, 2018
Using data integrity to preserve democracy

During their keynote panel at the Privacy. Security. Risk. conference in Austin, Texas, David Becker, executive director of the Center for Election Innovation and Research, and Jeff Jonas, founder of Senzing, had some good news for those of us who've maybe begun to see data collection as toxic: We're making serious progress on data integrity in a way that's benefiting democracy. Period. In an innovative use of privacy by design, the two have teamed up to cut down on the level of voter disenfranchisement in the United States. Angelique Carson has the details. 

Oct. 17, 2018
Manjoo: Moving on from ad-centric models has benefits, risks

New York Times Tech Columnist Farhad Manjoo provided a keynote address at the Privacy. Security. Risk. conference that raised many questions with few easy answers. Certainly, writes Ryan Chiavetta, Manjoo laid out a compelling case for why consumers are losing trust in companies with business models focused on targeted advertising and data monetization. Yet, he couldn’t quite come out and fully endorse business models that avoid the use of personal data. As he detailed the argument’s pros and cons for the various models employed by the biggest tech firms, Manjoo also couldn’t offer a rosy outlook: “It’s a very bleak future.”

Oct. 18, 2018
GoDaddy wins 2018 HPE-IAPP Privacy Innovation Award at P.S.R.

Presented at its Privacy. Security. Risk. conference in Austin, Texas, the IAPP named GoDaddy as the winner of this year's HPE-IAPP Innovation Award. GoDaddy was recognized for its privacy program's vision and mission, integrating the need to process personal data to provision products and support growth while bolstering the security of that information. Here, Molly Hulefeld spoke with members of the GoDaddy team to hear a bit about what makes the company's privacy program so unique. 

Oct. 17, 2018
Under Armour takes 'honorable mention' for building innovative privacy program

As thousands of privacy professionals flocked to Austin this year for Privacy. Security. Risk. 2018, privacy pros were surely eager to hear who would be announced as this year’s HPE-IAPP Privacy Innovation Award winner. And while the winner's podium is narrow, that doesn't mean there aren't additional companies doing some pretty impressive work on privacy. This year, an honorable mention goes to Under Armour. Molly Hulefeld spoke with Toke Vandervoort, vice president and deputy counsel at the company, to hear about what makes this privacy program stand out. 

Oct. 19, 2018 
Consent remains major ePrivacy sticking point for EU bodies

Only a few minutes into his breakout session, WilmerHale Cybersecurity and Privacy Practice Group Co-Chair Reed Freeman did not mince words on the current status of the ePrivacy Regulation. "The ePrivacy Regulation is a giant mess, it’s a bigger mess than the [California Consumer Privacy Act of 2018]," he said. "There is so much uncertainty about whether it is needed, what is required, and what is the process for all of this. Nevertheless, it is out there, and it might happen." Ryan Chiavetta reports.

Oct. 17, 2018
Ad tech's privacy implications go beyond targets

Privacy professionals are finding themselves immersed more than ever in the advertising technology ecosystem, and that arena was front and center during a half-day workshop at the IAPP's Privacy. Security. Risk. 2018 conference: "AdTech 101: Ad Interactive Analysis of Online Advertising and Privacy." Ryan Chiavetta takes a look at some of the topics covered during the session, starting with the inner workings of targeted advertising. From there, the session looked at how ad tech touches upon other areas privacy professionals currently face, such as algorithmic biases, the EU General Data Protection Regulation, data minimization, and ensuring third-party vendors are using data properly.