Eric Hittinger, an electric grid and cyber security expert and associate professor at Rochester Institute of Technology, joins Deb and David to discuss cybersecurity protections for the electric grid.



Is a rogue nation state more dangerous than a hungry squirrel chewing an electric line? Eric discusses the likelihood of a cyberattack on the grid, what our country is doing to prevent cyberattacks, and how much we should worry about them. Eric also shares some of the access point and interconnectedness risks in the electricity system and how those risks are mitigated.

Glenn S. Gerstell, former general counsel of the National Security Agency (NSA) and Central Security Service (CSS), as well as a sought-after speaker, advisor, and thought leader on cybersecurity and the role of technology in national security, privacy, and geopolitical affairs, joins Deb and David to discuss how he transitioned from a distinguished career in law to public service. He describes how his experience as a lawyer in the technology field helped him in his role as general counsel for the NSA. Glenn also explains why relying so heavily on digital technology makes us vulnerable and what the United States is doing to protect itself from cyberattacks from other nation-states and ransomware gangs.

Colin Gounden, co-founder of VIA, joins Deb and David to discuss how he started five successful Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) spinouts and manages thousands of employees worldwide. Colin talks about how he developed VIA’s blockchain application, Trusted Analytics Chain (TAC), to meet the high data security needs required to make predictive analytics and other artificial intelligence (AI) applications successful in the energy sector. He addresses the special needs for protecting big data, shares VIA’s vision, and describes why social justice issues remain central to their ongoing mission. Colin also touches on his amazingly broad array of interests and pastimes, including his appreciation of Ted Lasso to help get through the COVID-19 lockdown.

Dan Frechtling, CEO of Boltive, joins David and Deb to share how his Privacy Guard service helps media companies, technology companies, and consumer brands find, block, and replace invasive advertising, including those with malware, data leakage, and other potential California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) or EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) violations. Dan tells a compelling story about his migration to data security and provides background on how advertising algorithms work. He also describes why advertising is so enmeshed in our web experience and what that means for the future of data protection. During the discussion, Dan gives a shout-out to our own CCPA Litigation Tracker, which helps companies stay abreast of litigation involving the CCPA.

Chris Handman, former general counsel at Snap Inc. and co-founder of TerraTrue, joins David and Deb to talk about his career and thoughts on privacy and security trends. Chris describes how he transitioned out of a large firm, where he worked for then-private-practice-lawyer John Roberts, to become the GC of Snap, where an ongoing Federal Trade Commission (FTC) consent decree made him acutely thoughtful about building privacy into the original coding of website functionality. He also discusses how he went on to found a successful data privacy company, TerraTrue, with a unique approach to building privacy as part of the company infrastructure and offers his insights on what companies need to prioritize given the current direction of privacy and security.

Joe Miller, Founder, President, Chief Executive Officer, and Founding Board Chair of The Washington Center for Technology Policy Inclusion (WashingTECH), joins David and guest cohost, Paige Biderman, to share how his organization fights for a safer and more trustworthy and inclusive internet. WashingTECH is the first in the nation to focus exclusively on diversity and inclusion in technology public policymaking. He discusses meeting with communities to teach those on the ground how tech policy impacts their lives and shares how WashingTECH supports parents who are looking for a safer online environment and highlights parenting issues from a policy perspective.

Jodi Daniels, CEO of Red Clover Advisors and Justin Daniels, cybersecurity expert, join Dominique and David to discuss why businesses are still not deliberate in designing privacy and security practices and how we can change our mindset to prioritize them. Jodi explores why data collection, usage, storage, and protection are the foundation of companies' continued business online and what happens when small companies do not understand their security responsibilities. The pair also share why they started their podcast “She Said Security/He Said Privacy in 2020” and how they provide informed coverage of privacy and security law developments.

Vineet Singal, co-founder and CEO of CareMessage, a messaging platform for health safety net organizations, joins Dominique and David to share why he created CareMessage out of his original work in San Francisco’s Tenderloin neighborhood. He talks about why he turned down a scholarship to medical school to continue this work, and why he is so passionate about helping underserved populations manage their conditions and take responsibility for their health. Vineet describes how CareMessage grew from a Stanford undergraduate project to become the largest patient engagement program in the United States and discusses the types of data held by CareMessage and other healthcare clinics, as well how as how they ensure their HIPAA compliance. Vineet also explores how the COVID-19 pandemic has been a critical component of CareMessage’s growth in ways he could not have anticipated when he started the company in 2012.

Daniella Ballou-Aares, CEO & Co-Founder of the Leadership Now Project and a Senior Advisor at Dalberg, joins David to discuss how corporate CEOs and corporations are taking direct action to support voting rights and how they are looking for an innovative model of sustained and strategic engagement to fix democracy. Most importantly, Daniella identifies with precision and clarity why measuring big data is important in preserving democracy, how supporting voting rights and a sustained democracy serves the interests of corporations and their shareholders, and why private sector leadership in this area is important, not only for democratic principles but for the long term interests of shareholders and business success.

Devin Banerjee, editor at large at LinkedIn News, joins Dominique and David to share his passion for business journalism. He discusses how writing business articles and updates for a social media company differs from more traditional publications where writers do not receive instantaneous feedback. He addresses C-suite awareness of the importance of cybersecurity and the damage that ransomware wreaks on an organization. Devin also dives into how LinkedIn identifies influential and high-quality contributors in different industries and brings them into the conversation on the platform.