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The Privacy Payoff
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by Ann Cavoukian and Tyler J. Hamilton McGraw-Hill Ryerson US$24.95, Cdn$36.99 hardcover |
review by Gordon Graham
Everyone knows we have to give up a little privacy to gain security, right? Not so, according to this timely new book. It's a false tradeoff, the authors argue--and if you don't see that, you're out of touch with the issue of the decade. That may be overstating the case, but it's an informed view coming from Ann Cavoukian, who is Ontario Information and Privacy Commissioner. (Her collaborator, Tyler Hamilton, is a Toronto Star tech writer.) |
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And it's certainly true that privacy is serious stuff:
if you abuse customers' trust by gathering or selling information about them without their permission,
they'll take their business elsewhere as quick as one click of a mouse.
You'll lose sales, expose your firm to lawsuits and negative publicity, perhaps tarnish a brand forever.
Our company is on top of this stuff, you might think. We have a privacy policy around here somewhere. Well, guess again. "Most privacy policies are a joke," concluded a report from Internet research specialist Forrester Research. "It's pretty awful out there," confirmed one privacy auditor who studied more than 300 companies. Many firms have already been nailed with expensive settlements or bad PR over lapses in privacy, including Amazon, Eli Lilly, intel, Microsoft, United Airlines and Xerox. Cavoukian and Hamilton aim to provide a preventive primer on privacy. They thoroughly succeed, covering privacy laws around the world, computer security, and the work of six Chief Privacy Officers. There's plenty of useful how-to. The clear warning throughout is that companies ignore privacy at their own peril. But there's a positive incentive as well. Firms that rethink how to find, store, and use personal information can gain major savings and a competitive edge. Note to job seekers: with thousands of new positions projected by 2005, this is an excellent time to reinvent yourself as a privacy auditor or consultant. |
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This review appeared in the Report on Business magazine of the Globe and Mail in September, 2002.
How to contact us
September 24, 2003
Review © 2002 by
Gordon Graham
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How to reach Gordon Graham Tel: (705) 842-2428 Eastern Fax: (705) 842-2429 Email: gordon@gordonandgordon.com |
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