The Privacy Insider Podcast

What does theology have to do with AI? A lot: Theological principles can guide values and ethics, and quite frankly, we need to be sure we have some around coexisting with AI. The ethical use of technology has always been a subject for debate (including around personal privacy and the digital age). But AI brings a whole new layer of ethical consideration–and existential crisis–for human beings. Technologist and theological scholar Dr. Michael Hemenway joins us to discuss the ethical implications of AI and how we can all guide responsible innovation and create space for both AI and humanity.  

Dr. Michael Hemenway serves as the Director of Design and Data Science at the Association of Theological Schools. His expertise spans data integration, natural language processing, organizational and instructional design, and ethical AI development. He was co-founder of the Experimental Humanities Lab and the Artificial Intelligence Institute at the Iliff School of Theology. 

Episode Highlights:

• [14:52] - What Do AI Ethics and Ancient Texts Have in Common?
• [19:35] - Ethics vs. Values in AI
• [25:54] - Are We Outsourcing Our Humanity to AI?
• [40:10] - What History Teaches Us About Regulating AI
• [50:18] - Should We Fear AI or Learn to Work With It?
• [54:39] - What Every Privacy Professional Must Know About AI Tools
• [01:03:11] - A Better Way to Understand Online Privacy Risks
  
  

Quotes:

• "TRUST, for us, means transparency, responsibility, user-centeredness, sustainability, and team."
• "In our practice, ethics leans more toward putting values into practice, especially in decision-making."
• "I don't think regulation comes first. I think regulation supports the values of a society that then drives the ethical framework guiding decision-making."
• "As we see generative AI have creative capacities, we say, What is it then that makes humans and not machines or something else? AI has made this question more pertinent than it has been in the past, and that's one of the reasons I think this technological movement is different from earlier technological movements. They all pose a threat in some way to how we relate to the world. But this one is particularly tense because it's challenging that thing we thought made us exceptional."
• “I don't see AI becoming something so different from what we've experienced before that we need to have a radically different approach to how we engage this as a society. There are new things emerging. We need to pay attention to that newness. We need to build capacities as broadly as we can for folks to be able to use and engage these technologies and to have a voice in how they're gonna be developed in the future.”
  
  

Episode Resources:

• Dr. Michael Hemenway on LinkedIn
• The Association of Theological Schools Website
• Case Western Reserve University Website
• Osano Website

Hosted by Arlo Gilbert, author of The Privacy Insider Book.

The Privacy Insider Podcast is handcrafted by our friends over at fame.so.

There’s a U.S. election coming up in a few weeks. You may have heard something about it. What you haven’t heard as much about in this election cycle is the candidates’ stance on privacy. Why? And will privacy views and policies change depending on who takes office? This week, Georgia Tech Professor Peter Swire, a privacy and data policy advisor in both the Clinton and Obama Administrations, joins host Arlo Gilbert this week to talk about how privacy figures into gun control, abortion, and other hot-button issues, and to share his regulatory insight on everything from AI to Crypto. 

With a career spanning over three decades, Peter Swire has served at the highest levels of government, including as Chief Counselor for Privacy under President Clinton and a key member of President Obama’s Review Group on Intelligence and Communications Technology. You might say he’s something of an authority on privacy. He is currently the J.Z. Liang Professor of Privacy and Cybersecurity at Georgia Tech, and Research Director of the Cross-Border Data Forum. 

Episode Highlights:
[03:16] - Bipartisan Support for Privacy Legislation
[04:58] - The Complexity of Privacy Legislation
[10:37] - Abortion Rights and Medical Privacy Clash
[14:09] - AI’s Rapid Evolution and Regulatory Challenges
[21:43] - The Paradox of Crypto: Freedom vs. Safety
[28:15] - The Intersection of Government and Industry Surveillance

Quotes:

• "Both candidates have expressed support for general federal privacy law... There should be access to people’s data, people should be able to correct their data, and there should be some choice before it gets sold to third parties."
• "This is where abortion politics and privacy get mixed up together because we have some states like Texas who are taking vigorous efforts to try to block abortions, and other states... that are taking vigorous efforts to protect the right for a woman to have an abortion."
• "This AI explosion reminds me of the internet explosion in the 90s... It seems like we’re in a somewhat comparable rate of change right now when it comes to AI."
• “When you think about this libertarian ideal that tends to be the undercurrent in cryptocurrency, it’s a very seductive argument... But I come back to this question of, well, don’t we want government oversight of our money?"
• "We can’t do modern cybersecurity without pervasive encryption in a hundred thousand different ways. So I’m a huge lover of encryption... But I’m not on the side of cryptocurrencies because my experience in banking regulation is, they lack essential safeguards and they’re a recipe for scams."

Episode Resources

• Peter Swire on LinkedIn
• Georgia Institute of Technology Website

Osano WebsiteHosted by Arlo Gilbert, author of The Privacy Insider Book.

The Privacy Insider Podcast is handcrafted by our friends over at fame.so.

If you’re in the privacy industry, you know Max Schrems: Renowned privacy rights advocate and the David who took on Facebook’s Goliath to shine a light on the misuse of consumer data. But that’s just one facet of what he does. In this episode, Max talks to Arlo Gilbert about Facebook, Amazon, and Google, whether or not you can file a class action in Europe, and how somebody became so passionate about privacy that they ended up changing the world.

Max is an Austrian activist, lawyer, and author whose legal challenges alleging privacy law violations in Europe resulted in two landmark judgments (Schrems I and Schrems II) that help protect individuals’ personal data. Today, as the Founder and Chairman of noyb, Max and his team are committed to bridging the gap between privacy laws and corporate practices to strengthen protection of individuals’ personal data.

This is Part II of a two-part series. If you enjoyed this episode, make sure to subscribe, rate, and review on Apple Podcasts and Spotify; instructions on how to do this are here.

Episode Highlights:

• [00:30] - Will the US and EU Find Common Ground in Data Privacy?
• [11:21] - Why American Companies Are Embracing GDPR
• [17:04] - Tech Giants in Court
• [21:38] - How EU’s New Law Causes Emotional Damage for Privacy Violations
• [29:35] - Whose Job Is to Protect Your Data?

Quotes:

• “The really interesting part when it comes to government surveillance is that we need convergence and a so-called "no-spy" agreement.”
• “I often get asked in interviews like, What do you think Mark Zuckerberg thinks about? I have never thought about anything like the CEO of the company. It's not my way of thinking about stuff. It's more like, What does the privacy policy really say? What does the data flow say? Do they match or not? That's what our approach is, and that usually makes it quite nice and easy.”
• “If you say all your data is on the dark web, how much money would you be willing to pay? Or, how much are you willing that all your data doesn't go to the NSA in the end? We could probably set a fair market price for these violations, but a lot of judges will have to figure that out in the next couple of years and will probably have some sweat going down to think about what that really is, especially if you then multiplied with 100 million people.”
• “The digital compliance world has to think about how to build a system where, on average, people can trust us and be sure that the products and services we provide are generally up to the level that they expect from it and that we don't shift the responsibility to it.”

Episode Resources:

• David, Goliath, and Data Privacy Part I: Max Schrems
• Max Schrems on LinkedIn
• noyb Website
• Osano Website

Hosted by Arlo Gilbert, author of The Privacy Insider Book.

The Privacy Insider Podcast is handcrafted by our friends over at fame.so.

If you’re in the privacy industry, you know Max Schrems: Renowned privacy rights advocate and the David who took on Facebook’s Goliath to shine a light on the misuse of consumer data. But that’s just one facet of what he does. In this episode, Max talks to Arlo Gilbert about his organization noyb, the often-unglamorous work of protecting privacy rights, and how the Florida educational system kicked off a lifelong passion for privacy.

Max is an Austrian activist, lawyer, and author whose legal challenges alleging privacy law violations in Europe resulted in two landmark judgments (Schrems I and Schrems II) that help protect individuals’ personal data. Today, as the Founder and Chairman of noyb, Max and his team are committed to bridging the gap between privacy laws and corporate practices to strengthen protection of individuals’ personal data.

This is Part I of a two-part series. If you enjoyed this episode, make sure to subscribe, rate, and review on Apple Podcasts and Spotify; instructions on how to do this are here.

Episode Highlights:

• [01:33] - How noyb Is Fighting 800 Cases
• [07:35] - Taking on Tech Giants and Winning
• [15:33] - The Dark Side of Data Rights
• [21:06] - Are Cookie Banners a Necessary Evil or Outdated Annoyance?
• [29:17] - Why Privacy Watchdogs Avoid Taking on Governments
• [32:25] - How Culture Shock Ignited Max's Fight Against Big Tech

Quotes:

• “I'm usually the biggest devil's advocate within the organization to ask people all the evil questions that they don't want to be asked. But it usually also increases the quality of what we do a lot.”
• “When it comes to funding and being obviously always the smaller underdog, once you have the quality, I usually tell people that if you look at this David versus Goliath thing, you have to be that David who knows where is the point where it hurts, where is the right angle of attack.”
• “I think what is useful for companies is to think more about what my customers actually want, how I can make the journey as easy for people as possible, how not to have more friction, and how not to get in a fight with a customer.”
• “The way I look at consent, at least for the European bubble, it's a fundamental right. So you have a right to your data as a fundamental right, like your freedom of speech or your right to bodily integrity.”
• “I think privacy, first of all, is a hugely cultural thing. What is private and not is different in different cultures.”

Episode Resources:

• Max Schrems on LinkedIn
• noyb Website
• Osano Website

Hosted by Arlo Gilbert, author of The Privacy Insider Book.

The Privacy Insider Podcast is handcrafted by our friends over at fame.so.

In Part II of our conversation with Keith Enright, the outgoing Chief Privacy Officer of Google, Keith talks to host Arlo Gilbert about what it’s really like to be in the hot seat of data privacy of one of the world’s biggest tech companies: The good and the bad. You’ll hear about the uniqueness of Google’s approach to innovation and privacy, the complexities of being on regulators’ radar, and the opportunities that led to world-changing outcomes and some of the most gratifying moments of his career.

With over 20 years of experience, Keith was a pioneer in early data privacy who has vast expertise in legal leadership, global privacy strategy, and the intersection of technology innovation and individual rights. As the head of Google's Global Privacy and Consumer Protection functions, Keith has played a role in shaping privacy-forward policy and decisions in the US, the EU, and the rest of the world. Before Google, Keith built and oversaw privacy programs at Macy's/Bloomingdales, Limited Brands, and IBM, and also wrote one of the world’s first data privacy blogs.

If you enjoyed this episode, make sure to subscribe, rate, and review on Apple Podcasts and Spotify; instructions on how to do this are here.

Hosted by Arlo Gilbert, author of The Privacy Insider Book.

The Privacy Insider Podcast is handcrafted by our friends over at fame.so.

In this episode of The Privacy Insider Podcast, Keith Enright, the outgoing Chief Privacy Officer at Google, joins host Arlo Gilbert to share what it’s like to be at the privacy helm of one of the world’s most influential–and most watched–companies. Part I of this conversation showcases Keith’s unusual path to privacy and Google, the evolution of privacy under his watch, and where opportunities lie in privacy and technology today.

With over 20 years of experience, Keith was a pioneer in early data privacy who has vast expertise in legal leadership, global privacy strategy, and the intersection of technology innovation and individual rights. As the head of Google's Global Privacy and Consumer Protection functions, Keith has played a role in shaping privacy-forward policy and decisions in the US, the EU, and the rest of the world. Before Google, Keith built and oversaw privacy programs at Macy's/Bloomingdales, Limited Brands, and IBM, and also wrote one of the world’s first data privacy blogs.

If you enjoyed this episode, make sure to subscribe, rate, and review on Apple Podcasts and Spotify; instructions on how to do this are here.

Episode Highlights:

• [09:17] - Riding the Wave of Legal Innovation
• [18:46] - What It’s Really Like Running Google’s Privacy Operations
• [24:27] - Tackling Compliance Chaos and Budgeting Challenging at Scale

Quotes:

• “I was obsessed with technology. I was incredibly optimistic about its capacity to make people's lives better, and I knew that I wanted to be a part of that.”
• “You can't get into a conversation about tech law without it veering into a discussion of how AI will disrupt legal practice? I think there is a tremendous amount of opportunity for young, ambitious, technically sophisticated lawyers to think about specific businesses that they are interested in or specific problems or things that are fascinating to them and then think about how artificial intelligence and machine learning are going to disrupt those areas and then figure out how to help solve those problems.”
• “AI is a massive imperative for the business. One of the things that Google needs to get right for this next chapter is going to be. How do we position ourselves as the most trusted company on Earth as a company that is trying to deliver useful and valuable products and services to its consumer and commercial clients?”
• “One of the challenges of being very large and being a leader in the industry, even being widely recognized as having one of the best programs in existence in the world, is that every policymaker around the world is actively watching to see you stumble because calling you out is a really efficient way to send a signal across the entire economy.”
• “One of the interesting challenges of operating at this scale is figuring out where your bright lines are. What risks the business is not allowed to take. There are some of your baseline things, keeping users safe, complying with the law, and wherever you take out a legal position, have a credible, defensible position to support the position that you're taking and then have a candid conversation with your leadership to say these areas that might get challenged.”

Episode Resources:

• Keith Enright on LinkedIn
• Osano Website

Hosted by Arlo Gilbert, author of The Privacy Insider Book.

The Privacy Insider Podcast is handcrafted by our friends over at fame.so.

In this episode of The Privacy Insider Podcast, host Arlo Gilbert is joined by Rachael Ormiston, Head of Privacy at Osano, to dive into the complex world of U.S. privacy regulations. How does the U.S. view privacy differently than the rest of the world? What are the advantages of global cooperation on privacy laws? And, the big question, will the U.S. ever have a federal privacy law?

As a resident of the U.S. and a native of Scotland, Rachael brings a deep understanding of privacy regulation and culture on both sides of the Atlantic. Her vast expertise in Global Privacy, Cybersecurity, and Incident Response make her a sought-after thought leader and advisor on privacy technology, policy development, strategic planning, and program execution. Rachael serves on the IAPP CIPM Exam Development Board and is active in the privacy trade organization, advocating for policy change within the industry.

If you enjoyed this episode, make sure to subscribe, rate, and review on Apple Podcasts and Spotify; instructions on how to do this are here.

Episode Highlights:

• [04:41] - How UK and US Privacy Cultures Clash and Shape Innovation
• [09:12] - French and Californian Regulators Unite for a New Era in Data Privacy
• [14:40] - Will America Ever Catch Up with the EU’s GDPR?
• [23:11] - Will the  the American Privacy Rights Act (APRA) give the EU peace of mind, or cause for concern?
• [29:22] - How American Businesses Are Winning Big with Privacy

Quotes:

• “We know that privacy is a fundamental right, and it goes with the fact that there's freedom and there's choice. You can choose what you share and what you don't share allows you to have the freedom to be yourself or to share what you want to with certain groups and individuals.”
• “The other thing about the US is the idea of innovation. I was really drawn to the fact that in the US we don't mind being a little bit crazy and trying new things, and we have that ability to just try and build.”
• “I think the US really can in fact be very powerful when it comes to privacy regulation by helping to drive that innovation in a way that helps consumers feel they can manage their data better and give them choices.”
• “Privacy isn't just state by state or country by country. It's truly international. We know that data transcends borders, and I think there's also this element that privacy has always been a team sport.”
• “Privacy isn't just about regulation, it's about culture. It's about your own perceptions, how you value privacy, and I think it becomes harder and harder to actually find an approach that works for everyone or majority of the time works for everyone unless you do have these international cooperations, and I think the ultimate decision really has to come down to what the consumers want.”
• “What we've started seeing now is that actually, privacy reaps benefits for business because the cleaner your data, the more you can do with it, the more transparent you can be, the more people trust you, the more that you share, the more people actually want to find out about you.”

Episode Resources:

• Rachael Ormiston on LinkedIn
• Osano Website

Hosted by Arlo Gilbert, author of The Privacy Insider Book.

The Privacy Insider Podcast is handcrafted by our friends over at fame.so.

In this episode of The Privacy Insider Podcast, host Arlo Gilbert and Katharine Tomko, Partner at First Ascent Ventures, dive into AI, how it is changing the data privacy landscape, and how its growth presents new challenges for privacy teams and individuals. Also in this episode:  has impacted data privacy, tThe importance of consent, and why privacy matters more than you think.

Katharine has been a leader in privacy technology and enterprise software since her days as the first Head of Privacy Programs at Facebook. As a recognized expert in data privacy and protection and partner at First Ascent Ventures, Katharine supports emerging technologies that aim to transform data privacy and security.

If you enjoyed this episode, make sure to subscribe, rate and review on Apple Podcasts and Spotify; instructions on how to do this are here.

Episode Highlights:

• [01:20] - Will AI Create a Utopian Society or a Dystopian Nightmare?
• [04:43] - Learn the Dark Secrets of AI Before It’s Too Late
• [17:05] - Data Privacy Tips for Startups
• [25:23] - Are You Giving Away Your Data Privacy?

Quotes:

• “I think I have the good witch crystal ball and the bad witch crystal ball, and I think we're very much at this pivotal fork in the road with the uptick in the usage of AI, large language models, generative AI, transformative AI, and quantum computing.”
• “I recommend companies get control of their data. It's no longer a, Hey, you might get fined if you don't. Or hey, you might have a data breach. This is a potential existential risk to society.”
• “I also would recommend doing a risk assessment. I think that is absolutely a critical first step for understanding what are your risks and how to mitigate those risks? And this is not something, Hey, hire a privacy expert and have them do the risk assessment. No. The C-suite and executive team needs to be involved in this. They need to internalize what is going on. They need to understand data flows. They need to understand what people at your company are worried about.”
• “Here, in America, where we have incredibly bright minds and the ability to create amazing technology, we still are putting profits over everything else. And data is very valuable.”
• “Security is very important. But you can't do security without privacy.”

Episode Resources:

• Katharine Tomko on LinkedIn
• First Ascent Ventures Website
• LinkSquares Website
• C100 LinkedIn Page

Hosted by Arlo Gilbert, author of The Privacy Insider Book.

The Privacy Insider Podcast is handcrafted by our friends over at fame.so.

In this episode of The Privacy Insider Podcast, host Arlo Gilbert is joined by Katharine Tomko, Partner at First Ascent Ventures, who was the first Head of Privacy Programs at Facebook. They explore the evolving landscape of privacy in the digital space and digital privacy as an extension of fundamental privacy rights throughout history. Hear how Katharine’s experiences growing up sparked her passion for data privacy and her continued focus on it as a venture capital investor.

Katharine is a leader in privacy technology and enterprise software. In addition to her privacy work at Facebook, she is recognized as a leading expert in data privacy and protection. As a partner at First Ascent Ventures, Katharine leverages her expertise to support emerging technologies that aim to transform data privacy and security.

If you enjoyed this episode, make sure to subscribe, rate and review on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and Google Podcasts, instructions on how to do this are here.
Quotes:

• “I ultimately left Facebook and thought, OK, I want to get into venture capital at an earlier stage because potentially now I have a little bit more influence of saying, Hey, startups, you need to be thoughtful about your privacy and data strategy early.”
• “When I speak to start-ups about privacy, I don't think they fully internalize it. I think a lot of people assume we will hire a privacy professional, and they will just figure it out. They'll just make sure that we adhere to our privacy policy but don't fully internalize it. Hey, it's HR. It's recruiting. It's your front-end and back-end code developers.”
• “My journey into specializing in privacy and data protection stems from this profound understanding of the far-reaching consequences of privacy erosion on individuals, societies, and innovation.”
• “I think people also need to internalize. Informers are no longer sitting in bars, listening in on you like they're no longer on the street. We have much more sophisticated digital informers. Literally, everything you are putting online could potentially be misconstrued.”
• “I absolutely believe that privacy is a fundamental human right.”

Episode Resources:

• Katharine Tomko on LinkedIn
• First Ascent Ventures Website
• LinkSquares Website
• C100 LinkedIn Page

Hosted by Arlo Gilbert, author of The Privacy Insider Book.

The Privacy Insider Podcast is handcrafted by our friends over at fame.so.

Welcome to The Privacy Insider Podcast, where we update you with the latest trends and best practices that help you navigate the fast-evolving landscape of data privacy. 
Complex privacy laws and growing customer expectations require you to stay ahead in data privacy. Join us as we help you take that extra step.
I am your host, Arlo Gilbert.Hosted by Arlo Gilbert, author of The Privacy Insider Book.

The Privacy Insider Podcast is handcrafted by our friends over at fame.so.