Greetings from New Hampshire, privacy pros.
As July comes to an end, many of us have worked hard over the past couple of weeks to better understand the full scope of the July 16 decision of the Court of Justice of the European Union in the “Schrems II” case. To help, the IAPP has been publishing guidance notes on how companies around the world are responding to the ruling. The eight-part series concluded this week, with the latest pieces focusing on technology, media and telecommunications services in the wake of the ruling and providing seven predictions for the road ahead.
Also this month, the IAPP commemorates its 20th year of existence with the release of the future-looking anthology “Vision of Privacy,” which compiles the voices of privacy leaders across industry, government and academia. With 20 contributors from around the globe — from Microsoft Corporate Vice President and General Counsel Julie Brill, to the U.K. Information Commissioner Elizabeth Denham, to the Future of Privacy Forum CEO Jules Polenesky — sharing their insights, this is an essential work on privacy. If you read nothing else about privacy this week but this anthology, you will be ahead of the curve.
Other great works on privacy that made the rounds this week included a timely study released by NIST on the intersection of privacy, surveillance and COVID-19, as well as a look at how well facial recognition technology works on people wearing face masks. In addition, BankInfoSecurity hosted a conversation on the compliance lessons learned from two years of EU General Data Protection Regulation enforcement. The panel of experts featured former IAPP Westin Fellow Kelsey Finch, who is now senior counsel at the Future of Privacy Forum. Lastly, if you are a privacy tech vendor and would like to be included in the upcoming IAPP "Privacy Tech Vendor Report" or update your listing, be sure to complete this form by Aug. 21. The next iteration of the report is scheduled to be released in the fall.
Privacy aside, I wanted to leave you with an excerpt from the farewell letter written by the late Rep. John Lewis, D-Ga., shortly before his death July 17 and published in The New York Times Thursday, the day of his funeral. He concluded it with these inspiring words:
“When historians pick up their pens to write the story of the 21st century, let them say that it was your generation who laid down the heavy burdens of hate at last and that peace finally triumphed over violence, aggression and war. So I say to you, walk with the wind, brothers and sisters, and let the spirit of peace and the power of everlasting love be your guide.”
I hope everything this weekend goes your way.