Stewart Dresner - 40 Years of Data Privacy Developments

In this relaunch episode of Privacy Paths, Nel Anna Krzeslowska and Maisie Robinson are joined by Stewart Dresner, who founded Privacy Laws & Business in 1987. Stewart reflects on how the privacy landscape has changed since the company began, and we discuss how the data protection market has evolved over that time.

A new episode every two weeks. Each episode, we talk to an expert about a different topic in data protection and privacy laws.

Want to keep up with privacy developments? Subscribe to the Privacy Laws & Business International Report and UK Reports at privacylaws.com

Questions or topics you’d like us to cover?
Get in touch at nel@privacylaws.com or maisie.robinson@privacylaws.com

The Apple AirTag debacle shows that there is a need to diversify privacy to protect people and brands. Diversifying privacy means more than diversifying product development and privacy teams. It means looking outside the compliance bubble and centring marginal voices, including those that challenge the status quo.

Abigail Dubiniecki talks to Stewart Dresner and Tom Cooper and explains what went wrong with the Apple AirTag.

Apple is usually regarded as the company at the privacy friendly end of the spectrum. The latest consumer tech products are promoted as offering convenience. But developers ignore, understate or underestimate the possibility for harm. Harms to individual users as well as communities.

Some products and services are intended to vacuum up masses of data to monetise it. But even if a company rejects the outright monetisation of data as its main purpose, and instead is trying to create a product with privacy protections, some unforeseen problems can occur.

Apple and other companies can learn lessons from the AirTag story to avoid damage to their reputation.

This podcast is based on Abigail's article in PL&B International Report April 2022.

Resource referred to in the podcast: Just Tech

Abigail Dubiniecki is a privacy lawyer and consultant based in Canada who helps clients in the UK and Canada implement GDPR and other privacy and data protection laws. She specialized in operationalizing Privacy by Design and is a privtech and emerging tech enthusiast.

A new episode every two weeks. Each episode, we talk to an expert about a different topic in data protection and privacy laws.

Want to keep up with privacy developments? Subscribe to the Privacy Laws & Business International Report and UK Reports at privacylaws.com

Questions or topics you’d like us to cover?
Get in touch at nel@privacylaws.com or maisie.robinson@privacylaws.com

Age verification and estimation by companies to protect the privacy and safety online for young people

Stewart Dresner talks to Iain Corby, Executive Director, The Age Verification Providers’ Association (AVPA) and Project Manager, euCONSENT.

There is consensus that young people should be safe online. But how should organisations behave in an ethical way? How to reconcile the commercial objectives of data acquisition and retention, and the legal objective of data minimisation and data protection by design?

There are many international and national initiatives on online safety for young people. All are trying to protect “the best interests of the child”. How are companies engaging with them?

There is a continuum as children mature into teenagers and then into adults but regulations impose specific ages when content should be restricted. This is the issue at the core of attempts at regulation to better protect young people from online content of a violent or sexual nature, or increasing the risk that they will be led to the consumption of tobacco, alcohol, gambling and other dangerous and inappropriate content.

Iain Corby discusses with Stewart Dresner how companies are working together to achieve a credible method of age estimation and verification.

Privacy Laws & Business will cover this subject in more depth in our free webinar on the afternoon of Wednesday 16 March: Helping young people to better protect their privacy and safety online.

In addition to Iain Corby, participants will include the Acting Head of Children’s Policy at Ireland’s Data Protection Commission, a representative of the games industry, academics, and a Privacy Policy Manager for Meta.

A new episode every two weeks. Each episode, we talk to an expert about a different topic in data protection and privacy laws.

Want to keep up with privacy developments? Subscribe to the Privacy Laws & Business International Report and UK Reports at privacylaws.com

Questions or topics you’d like us to cover?
Get in touch at nel@privacylaws.com or maisie.robinson@privacylaws.com