As you all know privacy is a big deal. We value privacy enough that we established it as a constitutional right as we established our nation. As we entered the “Information Age” we have been forced to think about privacy in completely different ways. We have traded our privacy for access to “free” apps. We have elected to share personal information through social media. It may seem that privacy is dead and we should just accept it.
On the contrary, I believe that privacy is more important than ever. Privacy used to be handled mostly in the courts and the average person really didn’t have to think about it. Today we are all faced with countless decisions on how we handle our personal information. As IT professionals we have the additional responsibility of protecting the privacy of our community.
We have a Global Chief Data and Privacy Officer, Tani Raiford who is coordinating our privacy program across NYU. This is a new role for NYU and is consistent with other universities and institutions. She will help us navigate the need for access to information vs. our community’s need for privacy. You’ll be hearing more from her, but in the meantime be thoughtful about who gets access to data. Don’t needlessly restrict access and don’t just blindly give it to whomever asks. Goldilocks was on to something.
Lastly, I want to wish everyone who’s celebrating a very happy Lunar New Year. I hope you and your families enjoy an abundance of success and happiness in the Year of the Rabbit.