Data Privacy Day 2021

About Data Privacy Day

Observed annually, Data Privacy Day commemorates the January 28, 1981 signing of Convention 108, the first legally binding international treaty dealing with privacy and data protection. Since 2009, resolutions passed by Congress have supported the designation of January 28th as National Data Privacy Day in the United States.

Today, Data Privacy Day is a global effort meant to raise awareness about the importance of respecting privacy, safeguarding data, and enabling trust. Learn more at: https://staysafeonline.org/data-privacy-day.

The themes for Data Privacy Day 2021 are "Respect Privacy" for organizations and "Own Your Privacy" for individuals. Hear from two members of the federal privacy community about their thoughts on this year’s themes.

Respect Privacy

Learn from the perspective of the Department of Education’s Chief Privacy Officer and Senior Agency Official for Privacy about what respecting privacy means for his agency.

Read more about the constellation of principles that empowers the Department of Education's privacy program here.

Own Your Privacy

It can be overwhelming to think about what you need to do to own your privacy in today’s digital world. The proliferation of smart technology has introduced countless sensors into our everyday lives. At times it seems like every move we make is being monitored, logged as digital breadcrumbs, and tied to our digital identity.

Taking ownership of our privacy is important. The risks to us as individuals and to populations of people are staggering. But, where to start?

Read more about the first step that one privacy professional thinks you must take to start owning your privacy here.

Federal Data Privacy Day Events

Federal Privacy Council

The Federal Privacy Council will host its first meeting of 2021. The Council will kick off the new year by focusing on the importance of collaboration in successful data governance; the meeting will feature presentations and discussion to further strengthen coordination and relationships with other executive councils and promote privacy in data governance efforts across the Executive Branch.

Consumer Finance Protection Bureau

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) will host a virtual conversation on artificial intelligence and its impact on consumer privacy featuring keynote speakers, Dr. Darrell West, Senior Fellow at the Center for Technology Innovation at the Brookings Institution, and Janis K. Pappalardo, CFPB’s Associate Director for Research, Markets, and Regulations. The event is open to government employees and contractors and registration is required. A WebEx link and registration page can be found here.

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Privacy Service will host an internal, virtual Speaker Series that will provide a behind the scenes look at what’s to come for privacy at VA and how Privacy Officers and other VA privacy professionals can contribute to its efforts on key VA initiatives, including Data Loss Prevention, Controlled Unclassified Information, Privacy Continuous Monitoring, Privacy Compliance, and Social Security Number Reduction. The event is open to government employees and contractors at the VA. The registration page can be found here.

Federal Data Privacy Day Champions

The Federal Privacy Council is proud to recognize those agencies that opted into participating in the National Cyber Security Alliance's Data Privacy Day Champions program.