Markets Wired

The Federal Trade Commission, International Association of Privacy Professionals, and Northwestern University School of Law will co-host a one-day public workshop on April 15, 2008 on how businesses can secure the personal information of consumers and employees.

The workshop, “Protecting Personal Information: Best Practices for Business,” will feature business people, attorneys, government officials, privacy officers, and other experts who will provide practical guidance for businesses of all sizes on data security, best practices for developing an appropriate data security program, and how to respond to security problems, including data breaches.

The workshop follows a recommendation from the President’s Identity Theft Task Force, chaired by the U.S. Attorney General and co-chaired by FTC Chairman Deborah Platt Majoras, which called on federal agencies to improve their efforts to educate the private sector on safeguarding consumer data. The Task Force issued a report, available at www.idtheft.gov/reports/StrategicPlan.pdf, that recommended regional seminars as one way to help the business community, particularly small businesses, understand the importance of safeguarding information, preventing and reporting data breaches, and assisting identity theft victims.

The workshop will be held in the Thorne Auditorium of the Arthur Rubloff Building on the Chicago campus of the Northwestern University School of Law, starting at 9 a.m. It is free and open to the public. Onsite registration begins at 8:00 a.m.; information about advance registration is on the workshop web page at www.ftc.gov/bcp/workshops/infosecurity/index.shtml.

As part of its business education program, the FTC has information to help businesses forge their own data security plans, including an online tutorial, a booklet, and a series of articles suitable for reprinting in print or electronic newsletters. All are available at www.ftc.gov/infosecurity.