When devising effective employee policies to address a particular issue, which of the following should be included in the first draft?
SCENARIO
Please use the following to answer the next question:
Paul Daniels, with years of experience as a CEO, is worried about his son Carlton's successful venture, Gadgo.
A technological innovator in the communication industry that quickly became profitable, Gadgo has moved beyond its startup phase. While it has retained its vibrant energy, Paul fears that under Carlton's direction, the company may not be taking its risks or obligations as seriously as it needs to. Paul has hired you, a privacy Consultant, to assess the company and report to both father and son. "Carlton won't listen to me," Paul says,
"but he may pay attention to an expert."
Gadgo's workplace is a clubhouse for innovation, with games, toys, snacks, espresso machines, giant fish tanks and even an iguana who regards you with little interest. Carlton, too, seems bored as he describes to you the company's procedures and technologies for data protection. It's a loose assemblage of controls, lacking consistency and with plenty of weaknesses. "This is a technology company," Carlton says. "We create. We innovate. I don't want unnecessary measures that will only slow people down and clutter their thoughts." The meeting lasts until early evening. Upon leaving, you walk through the office. It looks as if a strong windstorm has recently blown through, with papers scattered across desks and tables and even the floor. A
"cleaning crew" of one teenager is emptying the trash bins. A few computers have been left on for the night; others are missing. Carlton takes note of your attention to this: "Most of my people take their laptops home with them, or use their own tablets or phones. I want them to use whatever helps them to think and be ready day or night for that great insight. It may only come once!" What would be the best kind of audit to recommend for Gadgo?
Why were the nongovernmental privacy organizations, Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) and Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC), established?
SCENARIO
Please use the following to answer the next QUESTION:
Penny has recently joined Ace Space, a company that sells homeware accessories online, as its new privacy officer. The company is based in California but thanks to some great publicity from a social media influencer last year, the company has received an influx of sales from the EU and has set up a regional office in Ireland to support this expansion. To become familiar with Ace Space's practices and assess what her privacy priorities will be, Penny has set up meetings with a number of colleagues to hear about the work that they have been doing and their compliance efforts.
Penny's colleague in Marketing is excited by the new sales and the company's plans, but is also concerned that Penny may curtail some of the growth opportunities he has planned. He tells her "I heard someone in the breakroom talking about some new privacy laws but I really don't think it affects us. We're just a small company. I mean we just sell accessories online, so what's the real risk?" He has also told her that he works with a number of small companies that help him get projects completed in a hurry. "We've got to meet our deadlines otherwise we lose money. I just sign the contracts and get Jim in finance to push through the payment. Reviewing the contracts takes time that we just don't have." In her meeting with a member of the IT team, Penny has learned that although Ace Space has taken a number of precautions to protect its website from malicious activity, it has not taken the same level of care of its physical files or internal infrastructure. Penny's colleague in IT has told her that a former employee lost an encrypted USB key with financial data on it when he left. The company nearly lost access to their customer database last year after they fell victim to a phishing attack. Penny is told by her IT colleague that the IT team
"didn't know what to do or who should do what. We hadn't been trained on it but we're a small team though, so it worked out OK in the end." Penny is concerned that these issues will compromise Ace Space's privacy and data protection.
Penny is aware that the company has solid plans to grow its international sales and will be working closely with the CEO to give the organization a data "shake up". Her mission is to cultivate a strong privacy culture within the company.
Penny has a meeting with Ace Space's CEO today and has been asked to give her first impressions and an overview of her next steps.
What information will be LEAST crucial from a privacy perspective in Penny's review of vendor contracts?
SCENARIO
Please use the following to answer the next QUESTION:
It's just what you were afraid of. Without consulting you, the information technology director at your organization launched a new initiative to encourage employees to use personal devices for conducting business. The initiative made purchasing a new, high-specification laptop computer an attractive option, with discounted laptops paid for as a payroll deduction spread over a year of paychecks. The organization is also paying the sales taxes. It's a great deal, and after a month, more than half the organization's employees have signed on and acquired new laptops. Walking through the facility, you see them happily customizing and comparing notes on their new computers, and at the end of the day, most take their laptops with them, potentially carrying personal data to their homes or other unknown locations. It's enough to give you data- protection nightmares, and you've pointed out to the information technology Director and many others in the organization the potential hazards of this new practice, including the inevitability of eventual data loss or theft.
Today you have in your office a representative of the organization's marketing department who shares with you, reluctantly, a story with potentially serious consequences. The night before, straight from work, with laptop in hand, he went to the Bull and Horn Pub to play billiards with his friends. A fine night of sport and socializing began, with the laptop "safely" tucked on a bench, beneath his jacket. Later that night, when it was time to depart, he retrieved the jacket, but the laptop was gone. It was not beneath the bench or on another bench nearby. The waitstaff had not seen it. His friends were not playing a joke on him. After a sleepless night, he confirmed it this morning, stopping by the pub to talk to the cleanup crew. They had not found it. The laptop was missing. Stolen, it seems. He looks at you, embarrassed and upset.
You ask him if the laptop contains any personal data from clients, and, sadly, he nods his head, yes. He believes it contains files on about 100 clients, including names, addresses and governmental identification numbers. He sighs and places his head in his hands in despair.
From a business standpoint, what is the most productive way to view employee use of personal equipment for work-related tasks?
