Greetings from York, Maine!

It's hard to believe July 4 is just around the corner. If the weather cooperates, we hope to finally spend some time with family and maybe catch a couple of nights of fireworks. It is a far cry from last year and it will be nice to reconnect with people.

We've been following a lot of privacy news this week — including an update on the EU-U.S. Privacy Shield and Maine passing what is being touted as the strongest facial recognition law in the country. We have all the details for you below.

I also recently read an interesting Twitter thread highlighting the need for more privacy professionals — at all levels, and not necessarily just lawyers. 

A quick look at LinkedIn this morning shows approximately 8,000 new privacy jobs have been added within the last week. And they range from entry-level to the c-suite, and a number don't require a law degree.

The privacy industry has been fortunate throughout the pandemic — jobs held steady. The "IAPP Privacy Governance Report 2020" found "more than 40% of respondents reported privacy has become more important within their organization in the wake of COVID-19, while only 5% said it has become less important."

During a March LinkedIn Live session, "The State of the Privacy Market," TRU Staffing Partners Founder and CEO Jared Coseglia noted privacy professionals "occupy roles that perhaps did not exist before the pandemic and, as a result, will have to bring in more people to take on additional tasks."

During the session, Coseglia said he expected an uptick in hiring both entry-level and mid-level privacy staff throughout 2021.

Back to the Twitter thread, what struck me was not only the call to action but the willingness of seasoned privacy pros to offer advice and suggestions to others on how to break into the industry. 

On that note, I hope you enjoy the long weekend. If you have a chance to relax and are looking for something to read, check out our IAPP summer "privacy reading list."