7 - Principle Six: Safeguard the Privacy of Information

Abstract

This chapter illustrates the sixth principle of socially responsible information technology management—safeguarding the privacy of information. Maintaining the privacy of enterprise information is a meticulous process, one that requires coordination across all departments and functions within an organization. It is imperative that everyone on the privacy management team understand the basic issues and concepts of privacy management as well as enterprise policies and procedures. A comprehension of the concept and the basic issues aids managers in making operational decisions about privacy during the day-to-day course of events. It also enables them to more fully participate in formulating policies and procedures. The definition of privacy is not straightforward. There are cultural, societal, political, legal, and national viewpoints as to what privacy is and what constitutes a violation of privacy. Thus, it is important to establish an operational definition of privacy in an enterprise. A strong definition of privacy will help prevent inadequate interpretations of policies and procedures as well as poor decisions regarding the privacy of information when there is a lack of specific procedures covering specific incidents or information elements. At the most fundamental level, the privacy of information is coupled to ownership of information. This chapter also discusses the evolution of privacy laws, privacy problems in different sectors, and establishing a privacy task force.