What are the most in-demand data privacy skills and competencies in the market?

In my view, the most in-demand data privacy skills include legal and regulatory expertise, proficiency in privacy frameworks (e.g., GDPR, CCPA, DPDPA or global regulations knowledge), risk assessment capabilities, and strong communication skills. Technical competencies in data encryption, cybersecurity etc. are essential (at least the foundational knowledge to assess). For example, a Data Privacy Specialist might need to interpret and apply complex privacy laws, assess the risks associated with new data initiatives, and effectively communicate privacy policies to diverse stakeholders. As the field evolves, staying updated on emerging technologies and privacy trends is crucial for professionals.

I believe the two most in demand skills for a privacy professional is the ability to give practical, realistic advice about how to operationalize and manage privacy compliance and risk to business people when there is so much grey in these laws. This means understanding your business, including how its technology works, its risk appetite, where is a company collecting and receiving data, and benchmarking, etc. Not every person can work in the grey.

Regulators across the globe recognise the risk posed to end consumers when they park their data with applications.This shows in the statistic that 71% nations worldwide have a Data protection law in place, 9% in the pipeline. Moreover, these regulators are also extending the scope to data handling standards as well as privacy preserving practices. GDPR (EU) from 2017 has set a strong standard for nations across the globe for digital personal data protection. DPDPA (India), LGPD (Brazil), PIPL (China), PIPEDA (Canada) and a bunch of states from the US are following suit (HIPPA COPPA CCPA) This is a dynamic ecosystem and case work keeps setting new precedence and clarifying the scope and depth of the implementation of these laws.

If you look at Data Privacy roles in the market, the following appear to be major skills recruiters are looking for 1) CIPP/CIPM/ CIPT or equivalent certification depending on the role 2) Experience in tools such as One Trust 3) Good understanding of data protection laws across jurisdictions 4) Understanding of sectoral regulations on data protection. 5) Ability to conduct Data Protection Impact Assessments.

In the data privacy field, the most in-demand skills include a comprehensive understanding of data privacy laws across different jurisdictions, proficiency in innovative technologies like blockchain, AI, and the ability to educate stakeholders on privacy best practices. Also, staying informed about emerging tech solutions such as Zero Knowledge Proofs and embracing a "privacy by design" approach in data-related projects are crucial for success in this evolving landscape.

Data governance is an important step in the implementation of any privacy framework. At its core, Data governance can be broken down in two parts: 1. Maintaining technical and business metadata that describes any record and helps systems understand the importance and/ or sensitivity of a particular data point. Tagging data correctly at its ingestion source and carrying over this context throughout your architecture is half job done 2. Policy definition on top of metadata that asserts access control based on roles/ attributes as well as allowed usage purposes, destinations, form factors and granularity of exposure for specific downstream data consumption use cases

Data Privacy and Governance are like two sides of the data management coin. While privacy brings in the crucial why’s behind the data management practices like data quality, lineage, metadata, literacy etc., data governance will bring the how’s and what’s to help implement and operationalize the data management practices including Privacy by Design.

Roles and responsibilities defined are important before establishing a data governance process. It is important to distinguish between Owner vs. Steward. An Owner has access to information assets within their functional areas. A Steward oversees the quality of a defined dataset on a day-to-day basis. Consider memorializing roles and responsibilities in RACI Charts. They can really help communicate the interaction and authority among leaders and teams clearly.

Data management protects your organization and its employees from data losses, thefts, and breaches with authentication and encryption tools. Strong data security ensures that vital company information is backed up and retrievable should the primary source become unavailable.

Data governance and data management are crucial for organizations to comply with privacy laws, protect against cyberattacks, and maintain data quality, all of which are essential for efficient decision-making. These practices enhance data quality, integrity, and accessibility, promoting transparency and accountability. Additionally, effective data management fosters innovation and competitiveness by enabling rapid adaptation to changing markets. Ensuring data quality means that decisions are based on reliable information, reducing the risk of errors. Adequate data accessibility ensures that employees can access relevant information promptly, improving operational efficiency.

Coming from a Security Engineering background I found myself intrigued when learning about Privacy Engineering. Having prior knowledge and experience in security engineering helped bridge the gap we often find in Privacy initiatives.

Data security and encryption are crucial for any privacy framework. Data security needs to be implemented at different layers in your stack: 1. Ingestion 2. Storage 3. Internal/ external transfers 4. Data Usage Data masking (pseudonymization, anonymization techniques) as well as encryption protocols protect raw data from any adversarial attacks on your storage, transit or usage endpoints. Advancements in cryptography mathematics are continuously upgrading the standards of data security while the fear of a post quantum world continuously looms over security professionals worldwide.

Data security and encryption are fundamental data privacy skills. They shield data from unauthorized access or loss, ensuring compliance and trust. Identifying and assessing risks is key, leading to tailored mitigation strategies. Implementing encryption, pseudonymization, and access controls safeguards data at rest and in transit. Secure communication channels, protocol adherence, and sound password management bolster protection. Following best practices in backup and recovery is essential. Given the prevalence of data breaches, staying updated with encryption technologies and regulations like the Digital Personal Data Protection Act 2023 is vital. These skills are pivotal in safeguarding data and maintaining compliance and trust.

1. Encryption Technologies:Symmetric Encryption,Asymmetric Encryption,Hashing 2. Public Key Infrastructure (PKI):Certificate Management,SSL/TLS 3. Data Masking and Tokenization:,Data Masking,Tokenization 4. Data Loss Prevention:DLP Tools,Policy Development 5. Database Security:Database Encryption,Database Activity Monitoring 6. Cloud Security:Cloud Encryption,Cloud Security Best Practices 1. Risk Assessment and Management:Threat Modeling,Risk Analysis 2. Incident Response and Management,Incident Handling,Forensics 3. Compliance and Regulatory Knowledge,Regulations,Compliance Audits

Security goes hand-in-hand with data privacy because securing your company’s system helps mitigate risks related to data breaches i.e. unauthorized access to confidential information. Compliance & privacy professionals should have a good understanding about the company’s security posture and need to work closely with the security team to understand the safeguards the company has put in place and make them aware of any changes to privacy laws that may impact data processing activities. Compliance, privacy, and security are all related to one another & these functions need to work together to be successful.

In my experience, the ability to properly articulate privacy by design philosophy is the top skill in demand. You need to be able to "shift privacy left" within the organization and bake in proper privacy fundamentals early in the SDLC. In order to accomplish this, you need someone that is a solid persuasive communicator that can get buy-in across an org from multiple stakeholders.

The concept of Privacy by design promotes the idea of proactively solving for privacy throughout system design and the software development lifecycle instead of reactively upgrading your tech for compliance purposes from time to time. Privacy by design takes into account all downstream data consumption use cases and dictates the right granularity, form factors and privacy budgets for each of them instead of a blanket policy for all use cases

Establishing a privacy-centric environment and culture within your organization, achieved through promoting awareness and emphasizing the significance of privacy to employees, is crucial in data privacy. One key principle supporting this is "Privacy by Design," which focuses on maintaining and nurturing data privacy from the outset of the software development life cycle. This involves implementing privacy measures before initiating any changes to tools, applications, or the organization itself.

Privacy by design is one of the most in-demand skills in the privacy sector. Why? The answer is simple. Every product, service or application requires privacy inspection from the first get-go because if privacy is embedded in each stage of the product then that helps the organisation to comply with applicable data privacy laws along with successful compliance to regulatory requirements. A good Privacy professional knows how to do that and do it right!

Sin lugar a duda la privacidad por diseño es la gran olvidada de los procesos de implementación de protección de datos. El enfoque jurídico-organizativo que da cobertura a los objetivos de transparencia e intervenibilidad es ya bastante maduro. Sin embargo, la aplicación técnica del diseño de los controles de privacidad para asegurar esos mismos objetivos aún tiene margen de mejora en las interfaces de productos y el despliegue de servicios. Por último, la desvinculación a través de las PETs resulta aún desconocida para la mayoría de responsables de IT, tanto para el procesamiento y eliminación de los datos. El futuro de la privacidad evoluciona hacia los códigos. Una política se ignora u olvida, un diseño y configuración ética no.

I think the actual most essential skill for any privacy professional is the ability to collaborate with a wide range of folks. It is essential that you can both talk the talk with engineering and legal. I find it often that I am having to play the role of translator for both legal and engineering. The ability to communicate well with all parties and help other teams understand each other is an essential part of being a privacy professional.

La comunicación es importante y la clave porque se tiene que hablar con diferentes tipos de equipo; desarrollo, legal y de seguridad; para poder hacer que los requerimientos sean traducidos, entendidos y explicados desde sus fundamentos para todos los involucrados en su respectivo alcance.

I've always believed that effective communication and collaboration are at the heart of data privacy. It's essential to stay updated by attending workshops tailored for data privacy professionals. I think active listening can't be stressed, especially when understanding the concerns of various stakeholders. I've found that role-playing real-life scenarios help communicate complex topics more effectively. Regular meetings across functions ensure everyone's on the same page, and having some training in conflict resolution can be a game-changer when disagreements arise. It's all about continuous effort and striving for excellence.

Working in privacy teams, I learned that open communication is key. We face a unique challenge: collaborating with diverse teams while keeping data secure. The key lies in balancing transparency and collaboration: Be Clear: Explain how data is collected and used, making it easy for everyone to understand. Use Secure Tools: Leverage collaboration platforms with features like encryption to keep data safe. Educate Everyone: Foster a culture of data security awareness across all teams. Strong communication is also crucial for collaboration with data, engineering, legal, and program teams. Without it, balancing functionality with data protection becomes difficult.

Commercial awareness and risk management. You need to know what the law is but if you can't explain or apply it to the organisation you work for, it's all just theory. Risk management fits here too, in that you have to know your organisation's appetite for risk is and help them get there.

Por mi experiencia, aprendizaje constante, rodearte de un equipo de trabajo experto o colaboradores que conozcan cada área y hacer las preguntas correctas. Hay que investigar y averiguar la finalidad del tratamiento, el flujo de datos personales y los medios.

There's no way around continuously keeping yourself updated on best practices in data privacy thanks to: 1. Frequently evolving privacy laws from regulators and new case work setting precedence for the right protection practices for different combinations of sensitivity, volume and usage of data 2. Hackers with malicious intent upping their game and finding newer and newer ways to break current data security and protection practices Standardisation of technology by research platforms and peer review/ testing new protocols with adversarial attacks can help educate all concerned about the latest developments

One of the most important roles for a Data Protection professional is to be able to explain the regulatory requirement in such a way that the business can understand, accept and apply the appropriate controls. Communication and influencing are key

In my experience, there are new and various privacy incidents on daily basis across the globe and hackers continously adapt and grow and hence it is very necessary for privacy professionals to continue learn and adapt as well to new technologies/tools and controls.

Data privacy is moving almost at the same pace as technology goes. Regulations do take more time to catch up because regulations are not made to address every single issue that may arise. The regulations are main guidelines and principles that allow to help avoid harm, but regulators do not have the power to see to the future. As a professional who wants to keep up with data privacy, it is elemental to keep up with global privacy news, Professional Associations, Newsletters, training, and others are key to keeping updated learning, and adapting your knowledge.

There is a common trend that it is happening where Data Privacy and Protection are being treated as its own. this thought is an error in how Data Privacy works. Data Privacy is the means to help to more reasonable and "healthier" business practices which turn into better governance practices. Data Privacy is more relevant to the ESG goals of corporations and it will contribute to their ESG analysis, and by effect to their value. This means to increase the desire to be invested or to be more trustworthy to clients/users.

Datenschutz im Unternehmen ist ein wesentlicher Bereich des Risikomanagements. Datenschutz wirkt im besten Fall präventiv für das Unternehmen. Daher ist es - neben Rechtskenntnis, technischem Verständnis und Prozessdenken - wesentlich, das Bewusstsein der Kolleg:innen für das Thema nachhaltig zu schärfen. Datenschutz ist nicht so bürokratisch, wie manche meinen. Er ermöglicht uns, mit einer qualitativ hochwerten Datenbasis, rechtssicher zu Arbeiten. Gute Kommunikation, Passion und Kreativität sind mMn daher wesentliche Skills, die Datenschutzbeauftragte im Unternehmen mitbringen sollten!