Funny thing, people.
One minute they’re worried about their personal information and Googling “Facebook privacy” or “Instagram government surveillance” and the next minute they’re posting photographs from the bachelor party in Las Vegas or video from their tequila drinking competitions. Privacy is a hot topic not just in the business world, but in our culture at large. People seem more than willing to post just about anything, until they sense their content is being seen by someone they hadn’t expected to look.
For businesses, the issue cuts both way: we must be mindful of what we post from the office or from a business device and we must also be mindful of our customer’s sensitive information, too.
Privacy has become a very public topic.
Which is why we’ve created a special series dedicated to the subject of privacy. And, ironically, we’re hoping everyone gets to see our very privacy series. To kick off the series, we introduce the ironically titled “Nothing to Do With Me.” In it, Lionel complains about his participation in a meeting he swears has nothing to do with him. Spoiler alert: It has everything to do with him.
This first episode also marks the return of series four vendor Mia and introduces a new character, the savvy new head of Privacy, Anya. Plus, everyone’s favorite IT manager, Ian, makes a typically awkward appearance. The second episode, “Nobody Reads That Stuff,” finds Mia seeking advice on the nuances of the Terms and Conditions document. It seems that Jack and Lionel have some ideas concerning data gathered from customers – ways of taking advantage of the data that could mean big sales for the company, but ways that could be disastrous for the company’s reputation.
But who would find out since nobody reads that stuff, right?
In a nutshell, the episode is an awful lot like the scene in “Jurassic Park” when Dr. Ian Malcom declares, “your scientists were so preoccupied with whether or not they could that they didn’t stop to think if they should.” Except in this case, it’s not scientists. And also our dinosaurs aren’t so scary. It’s the consequences you should be afraid of.
Whether it’s medical information or new tattoo photography, people have a right to control their personal information. And we in leadership have a responsibility to guide our teams through the proper use of information, both their own and the customer’s. Fortunately, you don’t have to wait for anything to happen within your own organization to learn about the consequences. We can tell you about Lionel’s experience.
And we won’t spare any details.