Tech Experts Reflect on Data Privacy Day 2025
Each year, on January 28th, we acknowledge Data Privacy Day - a global initiative committed to spreading awareness and advocating for best privacy... Read more at VMblog.com.
### MainData Privacy Day - a global initiative committed to spreading awareness and advocating for best practices in data security and protection - is celebrated on January 28th every year. The United States, Canada, Nigeria, Israel, and across 47 European countries echo this initiative. The essence of this day is clear - data privacy is not just a right; it's a shared responsibility for every internet user. So, let's navigate this landscape vigilantly, acknowledging the importance of preserving our digital identities and personal information.### Subtopic 1: Data Privacy Day - A Focus on Trust and Responsibility**Anthony Cusimano, Solutions Director at Object First**: "Data privacy is not just a right; it's a shared responsibility for every internet user. So, let's navigate this landscape vigilantly, acknowledging the importance of preserving our digital identities and personal information."**Darren Guccione, CEO and Co-Founder at Keeper Security**: "Global cyber threats are growing more prevalent and sophisticated every day. As we prepare to mark Data Privacy Day, there's no better time to reflect on the pivotal role of zero-knowledge encryption in protecting your business against cyber threats."**Michelle King, CIPP/US, Index Engines**: "Data Privacy Day is all about championing the protection of personal information and spreading the word on best practices in data security. By focusing on trusted data integrity, adopting a recovery-first mindset, and leveraging new technology including AI, we can truly support these goals."**Nick Burling, Senior Vice President Product at Nasuni**: "As large organizations adopt advanced machine learning and AI models—making them an essential part of operational workflows—safeguarding these systems has become increasingly critical. As data's value grows, so does its appeal to increasingly sophisticated threat actors."**Richard Cassidy, Field CISO, Rubrik**: "As we mark Data Privacy Day 2025, artificial intelligence (AI) should be at the top of the priority list for all security and technology leaders. For global businesses, it will be critical to have a firm grasp on all legislation to ensure they leverage AI in a regulated way. Noncompliance will result in costly financial and reputational damage."**Veronica Torres, Worldwide Privacy and Regulatory Counsel at Jumio**: "Data Privacy Day serves as a pivotal moment to reflect on the importance of safeguarding personal information in an increasingly interconnected world. As we charge through the new year, digital transactions have all but replaced the physical. Personal data stands as the currency of the modern world."### Subtopic 2: Security Trends and Data Privacy Challenges**Doug Kersten, CISO, Appfire**: "Data breaches remain one of the most persistent threats to digital security, forcing both individuals and organizations to adopt a new mindset: assume that sensitive data—whether personal or organizational—may already be compromised. In this reality, personal data can no longer be treated as inherently private."**Patrick Harding, Chief Product Architect, Ping Identity**: "Data Privacy Week serves as a crucial moment to reflect on the evolving digital security landscape and the pressing need to prioritize privacy in our interconnected world. With 87% of consumers expressing high or moderate concern about identity theft or fraud—a staggering 24% increase from 2023—it's clear that confidence in the digital ecosystem is eroding."**Rohan Ramesh, Director of Product Marketing, Digital Security Solutions, Entrust**: "This Data Privacy Week serves as an important reminder for businesses to adopt a "never trust, always verify" approach. With this mindset, security teams can leverage secure identity verification and authentication solutions to ensure only verified and authorized users have access to their accounts."**Sara Smith, Partner and Data Privacy Co-Lead, Squire Patton Boggs**: "Only store the data you need. Data minimization is fundamental to effective risk reduction. Organizations must develop a clear prioritization strategy—identifying their most critical assets and building targeted security measures around them. While organizations should aim for comprehensive security across all systems, strategic prioritization ensures critical assets receive appropriate protection."**Shrav Mehta, CEO and Founder, Secureframe**: "Data Privacy Day highlights the importance of protecting sensitive data. Most organizations are still at the early stages of getting visibility into where sensitive data lives."**Yoram Novick, CEO, Zadara**: "Cybercriminals have AI in their toolbox to automate and streamline their attack strategies, making organizational data more vulnerable. Zero trust models and smart security solutions are essential to counter advanced threats."### Subtopic 3: AI and Data Privacy - Ethical and Responsible Adoption**Boris Cipot, Senior Security Engineer at Black Duck** : "AI-driven tools, leveraging natural language processing (NLP) and large language models (LLMs), can enable efficient redaction and anonymization of sensitive information such as personally identifiable information (PII), financial data, and healthcare records within documents."**Gentry Tasche, CEO and Founder of Privitar**: "This year, Data Privacy Week falls on the heels of Biden's Executive Order on cybersecurity, reminding us that post quantum cryptography (PQC) and data privacy should remain at the forefront of every organization's list of priorities."### Subtopic 4: Role of Privacy-Enhancing Technologies in Data Privacy**Stephen Kowski, Field CTO, SlashNext Email+ Security**: "Phishing attacks designed to steal personal information or credentials are no longer just an email problem. Attackers are finding new ways to compromise our data through QR codes, AI voice scams, and multi-channel attacks."### Subtopic 5: Importance of Security Culture and Employee Awareness**Brandon Williams, Chief Technology Officer, Fenix24**: "In today's hyper-connected world, data is the lifeblood of every business. We collect vast amounts of personal and sensitive information from our customers, employees, and partners, which helps fuel innovation, but it also presents significant risks."### Subtopic 6: Data Privacy and the Role of Cybersecurity Frameworks**Agnidipta Sarkar, Vice President - CISO Advisory, ColorTokens**: "Shifting the Paradigm: We must move beyond simply reacting to threats. We need to adopt a 'security-first' mindset, where data protection is embedded into every aspect of our business, from product development to customer service."### Subtopic 7: Best Practices and Recommendations for Enhanced Data Privacy**Erik Gaston, CIO of Global Executive Engagement, Tanium**: "While data privacy has been top of mind for CIOs for some time now, protecting consumer and company data has never been more important or challenging."### Subtopic 8: Data Privacy and the Public Sector**Gary Barlet, Public Sector CTO at Illumio**: "January 28 is Data Privacy Day. And it's come at an appropriate time. Just weeks ago, the U.S. Treasury revealed a breach that exposed sensitive personal data, including 3,000 unclassified files."### Subtopic 9: Data Privacy and AI Governance**Srujan Akula, CEO of The Modern Data Company**: "Data privacy and governance have evolved from compliance checkboxes to AI fundamentals. The current challenge with data governance is fragmentation—privacy rules and protections often vanish during handoffs, especially with AI systems."### Subtopic 10: Generative AI and Data Privacy**Viswesh Ananthakrishnan, Co-Founder and VP of Product at Aurascape**: "Increased adoption of generative AI is exposing sensitive data to third-party AI apps, creating data privacy risks for businesses and their customers."### Subtopic 11: Data Privacy and Law Enforcement**Larry Zorio, CISO at Mark43**: "Data Privacy Day reminds us that securing sensitive information is critical, particularly for public safety agencies who keep our communities safe."### Subtopic 12: Data Privacy and Digital Identity**Raymond Umerley, Field CISO, Coveware by Veeam**: "Data Privacy Day is a vital reminder of the need to protect personal and organizational data in an era defined by AI, ransomware, and data exfiltration threats affecting enterprises and their third-party partners and suppliers."### Subtopic 13: Data Privacy and National Security**Chris Harris, Associate Vice President, Sales Engineering EMEA at Thales**: "70% of businesses can only identify and label half or less of their sensitive data, according to our Data Threat Report. This isn't good enough in an era where trust is not only earned through excellent products or services, but through a strong commitment to data protection."### Subtopic 14: Data Privacy and Local Government**Jim Flynn, Senior Director of Information Security, at CivicPlus**: "As we observe Data Privacy Day, it's crucial to recognize the growing cybersecurity challenges faced by local governments, as ransomware, data breaches, and phishing attacks continue to be daily concerns."### Subtopic 15: Data Privacy and Consumer Protection**Ravi Bindra, CISO at SoftwareOne**: "Tech advancement, namely the AI boom, continues to change the data privacy game. As AI evolves, the threat landscape grows increasingly complex, equipping malicious actors with advanced tools to compromise confidential data."