Brick by (Lego) Brick We Can Build Transparent Tech
How Lego is making privacy transparent - and fun.
At The Ethical Tech Project, we celebrate brands that lead the way in the quest for an ethical internet.
A foundational layer of the vision for an ethical internet is that businesses and platforms respect people’s data dignity. But what does that mean exactly? As a start, it means that businesses and platforms that collect and use people's data are transparent about what they collect and what they’re doing with it.
Transparency: Businesses must communicate, in simple language, how they will use data they collect, who it will share that data with, and how long they plan on storing the data.
Privacy policies and data agreements designed for people should use simple, easy-to-understand terms. I often wonder if the privacy policy I’m reading is designed for me as a person and customer, or legal jargon to satisfy a regulator. I love reading the pages and pages of legal disclaimers on my iPhone, don’t you?
In your spare time, do you like to brew a coffee and read the data agreements for your car? According to privacy4cars, mine is a “smartphone on wheels” with 10 data agreements that would take 330 minutes to read, let alone understand.
It’s why I love when I see out-of-the-box, truly innovative approaches to transparency, like Lego’s.
It’s easy to understand, short, and fun to watch. They’ve simplified and educated their customers on the complex topic of privacy and how the internet works, covering:
cookies and tracking technology and how they drive personalized experiences such as language preferences;
types of personal data collected, and not collected
The choices people have on how their data is used, and the privacy rights available to individuals such as the right to access and delete data (by the way - transparency and choice go together like peanut butter and jelly.)
We applaud Lego for this move, and most of all, for showing us that privacy can be fun.
Upcoming Ethical Tech Project Events
Located in the Bay Area? Join Us at Our Inaugural SF Privacy Technologists Meetup on Tuesday, 5/21
Join Nandita Rao Narla, Head of Technical Privacy & Governance @ DoorDash and Ethical Tech Project Board Member, Chitra Dharmarajan, Vice President, Security & Privacy Engineering @ Okta, and Sam Alexander, Data Privacy Engineer @ Ketch and all-around Data Ethics Nerd, for a casual conversation on how to set-up a privacy program and privacy technology from scratch.
Whether you're already running a major privacy governance program, looking to get started, or just have a casual interest in creating a world where data ethics and privacy are a priority rather than an afterthought, stop on by for food, drinks, networking, and casual conversation.
Register Here: https://lu.ma/sf-privacy-technologist-meetup
In NYC For #TechWeek? Join Us At Our Publisher’s Breakfast on Wednesday, 6/5
This exclusive event, designed for technologists, marketers, and legal professionals from publishing and media organizations, aims to spotlight the importance of responsible data practices and how they pave the way for meaningful data monetization and advertiser trust.
Prioritizing responsible data practices enables publishers to build deeper relationships with advertising partners that want to target permissioned audiences, in addition to enabling key DTC use cases like personalization, analytics, and retargeting. In an era where publishers are navigating the complex landscape of data mobilization and monetization, this timely event provides a forum to discuss this challenge and opportunity with industry experts, peers, and new colleagues.
Register Here: https://lu.ma/iilwurkl
What We’re Reading on Ethical Tech This Week
Information Week: Data Privacy in the Age of AI Means Moving Beyond Buzzwords by Dr. Maritza Johnson
Privacy is possible, but only if companies move beyond empty promises and commit to ethical data practices.
The Drum - What apps do with your health data when you're not looking
You shouldn’t be so quick to trust your pregnancy app or others with your health data. The Ethical Tech Project’s Jonathan Joseph explains.
The Verge - Telehealth firm Cerebral fined $7 million over ‘careless’ privacy violations
How did Cerebral think it could get away with playing fast and loose with such sensitive patient data?
Digiday - WTF is the American Privacy Rights Act
Will the American Privacy Rights Act streamline digital privacy, or just add another tangled layer of red tape for businesses to navigate?
AdAge - Brands and Data Privacy: What U.S. Regulators Can Learn from EU Missteps
4 ways to create federal regulations that protect both consumers and marketers