Abstract
The primary responsibility of the Chief Privacy Officer (CPO) is to protect online consumer privacy by developing an organization’s privacy policy and ensuring compliance with privacy laws and regulations. However, the explosive growth of internet use for business has brought about an escalation of concerns including reduced consumer confidence in internet-related business activities, risk of financial loss, and legal liability from sources categorized as external and internal to the organization. Does the new CPO position provide adequate consideration of the increasing risks? This paper discusses the far-reaching types of misconduct and risks organizations face. The paper concludes by recommending an expanded role for the CPO. In addition to overseeing internet privacy issues, the new role of Chief Privacy and Integrity Officer (CPIO) would encompass internet integrity. This entails formulating or reformulating an expressed internet use policy, undertaking on-going training and other means to maintain awareness of issues, monitoring internal sources, implementing defenses against external sources, and securing adequate liability insurance. The effectiveness of this new role, in overseeing these responsibilities, would be determined by assessing current operations, implementing proactive measures to reduce potential misuse, and continuously keeping abreast of technological advances, legislative and regulatory initiatives, and new areas of vulnerability.
Recommended Citation
Sipior, Janice C. and Ward, Burke T., "Cyberliability: Is The Chief Privacy Officer the Solution?" (2001). ECIS 2001 Proceedings. 124.
https://aisel.aisnet.org/ecis2001/124