Today is the fourth annual Data Privacy Day. Have a good one.
The point of the day seems to be raise awareness of the data privacy issues that affect us all, both organizations and human beings. In the developed world it seems that someone is maintaining data about any of us. They are the companies with whom we do business, various governments, doctors and insurance companies, schools and more.
Microsoft has a Data Privacy Day page, which mostly stresses how people are concerned about the problem, but also includes a number of tips for managing privacy.
On its Windows blog, Microsoft said a major focus of this year's Data Privacy Day is helping consumers protect their data from account hijackers.
"We think of this in three parts – joining forces across the industry to pool our resources, blocking abuse algorithmically, and giving customers tools to stay in control," wrote Dharmesh Mehta, director of Windows Live Product Management.
The company also put together a video (below) with quick Hotmail security tips.
Alma Whitten, Google's new director of privacy for product and engineering, said in a blog post that she will celebrate Data Privacy Day by appearing on a panel representatives of NIST, the FTC and the Electronic Frontier Foundation. It will be posted on Google's privacy channel on YouTube at a later date.
Whitten said "a major focus for Google is on creating ways for people to manage and protect their data."
Intel also weighed in on data security. "Intel has taken an active role in promoting policies that would protect privacy and promote innovation. For instance, we have signaled our support for U.S. federal privacy legislation in testimony and in conjunction with fellow tech companies," Brian Huseman, Intel's senior policy counsel, wrote in a blog post. "We also promote consumer awareness and empowerment when it comes to protecting privacy and making sure that computers are kept secure from malware and viruses."
In an interview with Lumension CEO Pat Clawson, Ogren Group analyst Eric Ogren argued that Data Privacy Day is a PR event with no real influence. He's rather downbeat on the issue of data privacy, but says there are good examples to follow in the laws in other countries and the Massachusetts Data Protection Law. (Disclosure: Larry also writes for Lumension's web site).
Chloe Albanesius contributed to this report.