Thread by @joejerome

Fun personal fact: I got started working on privacy on #DataPrivacyDay eight long years ago, so January 28th always makes me sentimental and interested in taking stock of Privacyland. 1/8

I lack the perspective of those who've been in the privacy weeds for decades now, but much has changed. In 2013, the big #DataPrivacyDay topic was new COPPA rules! Also, buzzwords like #bigdata and #IoT! I wrote a 5-year perspective for @PrivacyPros: iapp.org/news/a/data-pr… 2/8

One thing I've noticed over these 8 years is that privacy advocates are much less involved in the event. EFF and Consumer Reports may still do blog posts, but #DataPrivacyDay has really become more about corporate messaging on privacy. See, e.g., apple.com/newsroom/2021/… 3/8

I've still tried to do something each year, though, whether it was a privacy tip blog at CDT in 2017 or a thing on VPNs for @StaySafeOnline in 2019. (Call me sentimental.) staysafeonline.org/blog/virtual-p… 4/8

One of my favorite #DataPrivacyDay activities, though, was @CallForAction hotline organized at a local network news station in 2018. For two hours, some of the top privacy advocates in DC took calls from local residents concerned about all things post-Equifax breach. 5/8

This also illustrated the huge divide between the privacy issues everyday folks are concerned about (ROBOCALLS!) and the wonky tech issues I geek out about.

That disconnect is also on display every time I interact with state and local lawmakers on data privacy bills. 6/8

But the bounds of what is "privacy" has expanded tremendously in 8 years. #DataPrivacyDay often focuses on "corporate data governance" and generic #PrivacyAware tips to "read privacy policies," but just look at how the Privacy Law Scholars Conference now thinks of the term: 7/8

Privacyland is an incredibly dynamic field that I was lucky to stumble into. Thanks to @JulesPolonetsky and @PrivacyWolf at @futureofprivacy for giving me a shot! Now let's go solve privacy this year! 8/8