While some believe that fundamental privacy protections will be challenged by the operation of Big Data analytics, Dr. Cavoukian dispels the notion that privacy acts as a barrier to analytics and the innovations they can spark. She argues that the limiting paradigm of “zero-sum” – that you can either have privacy or innovation, but not both – is an outdated, win/lose model of approaching the question of privacy in the age of Big Data. Instead, a “positive-sum” solution is needed in which the interests of both sides may be met, in a doubly-enabling, “win-win” manner though Privacy by Design (PbD). PbD is predicated on the rejection of zero-sum propositions by proactively embedding the necessary measures into the design and data architecture involved. Dr. Cavoukian will demonstrate that you can embed privacy into virtually any system or operation to achieve positive sum outcomes, enabling Big Data and Big Privacy – not one at the expense of the other.
Dr. Ann Cavoukian is recognized as one of the world’s leading privacy experts. She is presently the Executive Director of the Privacy and Big Data Institute at Ryerson University. Appointed as the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario, Canada in 1997, Dr. Cavoukian served an unprecedented three terms as Commissioner. There she created Privacy by Design (PbD), 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. In October 2010, regulators at the International Conference of Data Protection Authorities and Privacy Commissioners unanimously passed a resolution recognizing Privacy by Design as an essential component of fundamental privacy protection. Since then, PbD has been translated into 37 languages. Dr. Cavoukian’s expertise has been recognized in many ways. She was ranked among the top 25 Women of Influence, recognizing her contribution to the Canadian and global economy; named one of the top 100 City Innovators Worldwide by UBM Future Cities for her passionate advocacy of Privacy by Design; chosen as one of the “Power 50” by Canadian Business magazine for her tireless efforts as a privacy champion; awarded an Honorary Doctor of Laws from the University of Guelph; selected for Maclean’s magazine’s “Power List” of the top 50 Canadians; and most recently, picked as one of the top 10 women in data security, compliance, and privacy you should follow on Twitter. In her leadership of the Privacy and Big Data Institute at Ryerson University, Dr. Cavoukian is dedicated to demonstrating that privacy can and must be included, side by side, with other functionalities such as security and business interests. Her mantra of “banish zero-sum” enables multiple interests to be served simultaneously – not one to the exclusion of the others.