What's your company's privacy strategy?
With reports of security breaches undermining consumer confidence in corporate information practices, it's never been more important for companies to define a privacy strategy. Yet few do. Why?

Lessons learned from corporate security breaches
With information security breaches in the U.S. now reported at a rate of one every three days, corporate privacy and security officers need to take stock about what's happening and what they can do about it.

So you want to be a privacy pro?
The mission to protect people's privacy can be very inspiring—but the reality within your company may be quite different.

Data theft affects 88 million-plus Americans
The steady stream of data breaches that started with ChoicePoint Inc. in February 2005 has left more than 88 million Americans at risk for identity fraud, according to a list tallied by the Privacy Rights Clearinghouse (PRC).

Be afraid of the catastrophic data breach
Data breaches seem to be getting more common, and soon they could get more costly. At least one security analyst predicts that a breach will bankrupt a high-profile company.

Security Cleanup Costs Much More Than Encryption
Encryption can cost as little as $6 per customer account, while cleanup after a breach can go upwards of $90 per customer account.

Computer Security: ChoicePoint's Lessons Learned
A year and a half after mistakenly selling consumer info to criminals, the data broker says it has put in dozens of new policies and procedures to make sure such a security breach doesn't happen again.

Where is the security for our personal data?
. . . after repeated incidents involving data-rich equipment disappearing, companies and government agencies still prove themselves unable to enforce basic security measures.

Worker records especially at risk
Personnel files, benefits data, payroll and tax data all are vulnerable. Often it's an inside job: An employee with access to records may take the information and set up credit cards or commit other crimes.

Data Security Spending Rises
Nearly 40 percent of new security spending by businesses in 2007 will be directed towards protecting data, research firm Gartner said Tuesday, indicating a shift from securing the network to shielding information.

Data protection: A big issue for small businesses
We're all aware of recent security breaches that caused major banks to reissue thousands of customers' debit and credit cards. But we're less aware of small business security breaches, and what we don't know can hurt us.

Privacy is Good for Business
An Interview with Harriet Pearson, Chief Privacy Officer, IBM

Microsoft to publish its privacy rules
The move is meant to give the industry an example of best practices.

More security efforts needed with increase in data breaches
Every new security breach - as well as the recent incidents involving laptops or other portable devices - are stark reminders of the need to improve security. In this Op-Ed in The Mercury News, John Berard offers suggestions to consumers and businesses about ways to improve security.

Encryption a simple tool to protect data
Reports of data theft often conjure up images of malicious hackers breaking into remote databases to filch Social Security numbers, credit card records and other personal information. But a lot of the time, the scenario is much simpler.

When it comes to security, we're all disasters waiting to happen
Companies spend tons of money protecting data and computers on site. But when you take an unprotected laptop--or other information-containing device--on the road, you're opening the door to all kinds of security mishaps.

Privacy Potholes
Putting privacy legislation into practice means learning how to sidestep legal and technical problems

Canada's best corporate privacy policies recognized
Nymity Inc., one of Canada's leading privacy research firms, has recognized the Canadian companies with the most transparent privacy policies by presenting them with the 2006 Top Privacy Policies in Canada award. The Award goes to the companies that best provide clear, complete and readily available notice of their privacy policies and practices.

Privacy, Security and Data Architecture
This article in DMReview takes a look at some of the key architectural decisions that must be made to help databases put privacy into action.

Building Trust in Your Organization
The top 10 most trustworthy companies and what you can learn from them.

IBM exec on breach notification laws, data security push
Breach notification laws and the growing globalization of business operations are forcing U.S. companies to pay more attention to the risks associated with having sensitive personal information under their control, according to Harriet P. Pearson, vice president of corporate affairs and chief privacy officer at IBM. Minimizing those risks is a challenge that requires a truly cross-functional effort involving security, technology, legal, audit and marketing organizations.

New Study Compares US and European Corporate Privacy Practices
A new study comparing European and US corporate privacy practices reveals that while European companies impose tighter restrictions on the sharing of sensitive personal data, US companies currently have more sophisticated systems in place to prevent breaches.

The choice is clear for this privacy officer: ChoicePoint's Carol DiBattiste
"I stay up at night thinking about how to beat bad guys from getting our data, and making sure the people who access our data are who they say are," DiBattiste says.

Study: Many Executives Dissatisfied with Training Efforts
At most companies, it’s a natural progression to use the learning department to address skill gaps. However, according to a new study, this approach hasn’t been working for many companies, and executives place some of the blame within the HR and training department.