When you connect with the IAPP, you have access to a community of over 80,000 professionals — like yourself — who are finding inspiration and ideas, working smarter, and putting privacy on the map. Engaging with the global IAPP community is a way to experience your work in a whole new way.

KnowledgeNet Chapters

The IAPP serves a global community of professionals, with members who help orchestrate and participate in events like KnowledgeNets — a worldwide network of chapters that engage your local privacy community.

KnowledgeNet Chapters are chaired by IAPP member volunteers, who with help from IAPP staff partners, organize KnowledgeNet meetings. These educational events cover a specific topic of discussion, from exploring legislative developments to discussing concrete implementation challenges and exchanging on career development.

They take place both in person and virtually, with a panel discussion or single speaker, and address a variety of topics including artificial intelligence, EU General Data Protection Regulation, privacy risk, strategies for DPOs or privacy and criminal law.

KnowledgeNet Chapters also organize networking events where IAPP members can exchange ideas and chat about the latest topics in a casual atmosphere and members with IAPP certification can obtain Continuing Privacy Education credits by participating in KnowledgeNets.

Chapters can also work together to organize a joint KnowledgeNet covering different geographical or sectoral perspectives on a given topic. This fall, the Danube KnowledgeNet will gather seven chapters and a joint Austria, Germany, Luxembourg, Switzerland Chapter meeting will take place 24 Oct.

Volunteering

Chapter volunteers work directly with the IAPP to organize KnowledgeNets and present the events to the community. If you are interested in a hands-on experience with the chapters, apply during the annual Call for Volunteers. Submissions will be open 10 Sept.-4 Oct.

Networking at IAPP events and more

The IAPP Europe Data Protection Congress 2024 in November will offer many networking opportunities. There will be breakfasts for first-time delegates and new members, networking by industry, roundtable topic discussions and a KnowledgeNet Breakfast with the opportunity to meet local chairs.

To further connect with those in the privacy community, the IAPP's Diversity in Privacy, Privacy Bar, Privacy Engineering and Women Leading Privacy Sections are communities of common interest that provide tools and resources in specific areas of data protection. Meanwhile, Affinity Groups cover various industries or themes, such as aerospace and defense, energy and utilities and financial services.

These are just some ways to meet privacy professionals in your local community and expand your network.

Laura Kuehnl and Maarten Coessens are member engagement coordinators for the IAPP.