#MyCyberWhy 19: Ann Cavoukian, Ph.D., Executive Director of the Global Privacy & Security by Design Centre

Welcome to “My Cyber Why”! — a glimpse into the life and work of experts from around the world who have dedicated themselves to protecting cyberspace.

There’s no shortage of scary headlines about the latest hacks and malware releases. But what doesn’t make the headlines are the inspiring stories of the people who work every day to make the cyber world a safer place. These are their stories and cybersecurity is their passion.

In each episode guests answer four questions:

1. Who are you?

2. What do you do in cyber?

3. Why do you do it?

4. How can people get involved or learn more?

Today’s guest is Ann Cavoukian, Ph.D., Executive Director of the Global Privacy & Security by Design Centre. The centre’s mission is to “spread the word on how to operationalize Privacy by Design, especially given its inclusion in the new E.U. General Data Protection Regulation. We must make every effort to banish the dated model of zero-sum, win/lose paradigms.” Ann takes a positive, “We can do this!” approach to balancing privacy and security and is recognized as one of the world’s leading privacy experts. In addition to her work at the Centre, she is Senior Fellow of the Ted Rogers Leadership Centre at Ryerson University.

Earlier in her career, Ann was appointed as the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario, Canada in 1997 where she served an unprecedented three terms. During that time, she elevated the Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner from a novice regulatory body to a first-class agency, known around the world for its cutting-edge innovation and leadership. And created Privacy by Design, a framework that seeks to proactively embed privacy into the design specifications of information technologies, networked infrastructure, and business practices, thereby achieving the strongest protection possible.

Without further ado, here is Ann’s #MyCyberWhy!

Timestamps

[0:27] Welcome Ann!

[1:21] From the Armenian genocide to privacy and freedom

[2:27] Developing privacy by design

[3:27] COVID-19 privacy impacts and mitigations

[3:48] Essentials of privacy by design: a “positive sum” privacy framework [5:58] Merging privacy and the law

[7:28] What drives you to move privacy forward?

[9:51] What will the privacy fallout be when COVID is over?

[11:53] How can people get more involved?

[12:33] Privacy is the foundation of freedom

[12:52] Thank you Ann!

Thanks for listening!

Want to get involved? Do you or someone you know have a fantastic Cyber Why? Reach out to me on LinkedIn or Twitter.