Rise of the Chief Privacy Officer

As we become an increasingly data-based society, security breaches and the associated legal risks have escalated.

According to the Identity Theft Resource Center, 233 data breach incidents took place as of April 14, representing an increase of 18 percent over the same time period in 2013.

Companies like Target, Michaels and Neiman Marcus know firsthand the reputational and financial damage that occurs when customers’ private information is compromised. As a result, private-sector demand for data security and privacy professionals has grown exponentially. Today many large corporations employ a chief privacy officer (CPO) to manage data protection and privacy concerns.

In the public sector, however, only a handful of statewide CPOs exist. But as big data, Internet-based everything and mobile technology grow, the CPO role could become more commonplace in the public sector.