Privacy as Risk Assessment and Risk Mitigation

How do Organizations think about Privacy?

A common approach is to extrapolate user/customer/citizen expectations on Privacy to that of the organization and expect magic. However, this is a mistake because organizations are not human beings, but are amorphous legal entities that strive to create an existence for themselves, by selling products and services in the market place. Organizations therefore view Privacy very differently.

The perspective that defines their approach is that of Risk - the probability that doing something or not doing something has an impact on their business. If Risk is the lens through which organizations view Privacy in their products and services, what are the mental models through which they manage it?

Broadly, Privacy as Risk comprises of the following:

1. Technology - Algorithms, Products, Technology Stack signify how organizations manage Risk.
2. Law of the Land - is a very significant driver for how organizations assess Risk. Here, State capacity, Institutions and Intent, all play a part.
3. Internal Policies - both Technology and Law of the Land inform and nudge internal company policies to work, organize in a certain way, and implement, manage and assess Risk.
4. Bureaucracy - while bureaucracy is typically thought of as having a negative connotation, in reality, no organization - be it the government or the private sector - can ever function without a bureaucracy. The structure of the bureaucracy plays an important role in managing risk.
5. Budget - While individuals sustain themselves on ‘food flows’, organizations sustain themselves on ‘cash flows’. Thus, no amount of good intent is sufficient without the required structure in place supported by a budget allocation.

With the upcoming PDP bill, it becomes imperative for organizations to assess their Privacy preparedness through the prism of Risk across all the above models.

Programme: Privacy Mode will organize a series of talks, publications, group discussions, best practices on the above topics, at a regular cadence - fourth Friday of every month - showcasing the work of industry practitioners and their experiences.

Audience and speaker personas:

1. Technology - Senior Developers, Architects, CTOs, UX Designers, DevOps architects.
2. Law of the Land - Lawyers, Legal Counsels for Organizations.
3. Internal Policies - Lawyers, Legal Counsels, VPs and above.
4. Bureaucracy - Engineering Managers and above.
5. Budget - CFO, Compliance Officers and Board.

Key takeaway for participants:
Through this programme, participants will learn how to design organizations - from top to bottom - that manage privacy risk.