So, I spent this week in New England. No, not Christmas shopping (have you seen how weak the CDN dollar is these days?), but rather spending time with the super folks at the IAPP who do the day-to-day work necessary for our professional association to thrive. 

I spent a lot of time talking about and working on the Symposium next May. The program is almost set and I think you'll find that it's quite stellar! There’s a good mix of content for beginners and for the more advanced privacy pro. There’s also a great combination of new presenters and some of the veterans we look forward to, year-after-year, who will be ready to share their insights. And you'll also see a solid gender balance in presenters (because, as our new PM reminded us, it's 2015). 

We also talked this week about how we might be outgrowing the conference space we're in. Remember that last year we really packed the house. It'll be sad to have to consider turning people away, but I suppose the risk of selling out isn't a bad problem for our conference to have. 

Yes, indeed, this is my plug to plan early so that you can attend and not miss out on all the Symposium has to offer, including the return of our game show. More to come on that later. 

I also want to mention that this week I made a point to talk to the IAPP about the feedback I'm receiving from you about the Digest and my little rants here. We really appreciate your input, so keep it coming!

In sum, a good, productive week with the IAPP!

On another note, it's also worth highlighting that Federal Privacy Commissioner Daniel Therrien tabled his public-sector annual report yesterday. The report includes a chapter on breaches as well as an audit of several departments' management of portable storage devices. Let's just say that, despite the fact that Canadians have little choice as to whether they hand over their information to government, the government still has work to do to fully gain the trust of citizens about its practices. Take some time to check out the annual report and the various  links from it to complete findings on the OPC's website. 

Now, off to grab a yummy bowl of Boston clam chowder before making my way back to Canada. 

Bon weekend everyone!