Data Privacy: A runbook for engineers

I have practiced Privacy law as an attorney and currently work as a privacy engineer. I have always thought that my sharpest tool in my toolbox is my ability to discuss technical concepts with a broad audience (both software engineers and attorneys). My ability to crystallize the concept of privacy pales in comparison to Nishant’s ability.I first learned of Nishant during a LinkedIn learning discussion. He made 2 analogies that really stuck with me. First, he said that designing an application that consumes data without being reviewed for privacy concerns is like designing a car without seatbelts.Second, he discussed how companies that have become data addictive have the same kind of realization when they start to consider privacy as an alcoholic does when he decides to stop drinking. The company starts to think, “Crap, maybe it is too late to consider privacy, let’s keep ignoring it.” The consequences of this thought are disastrous for the company. An alcoholic faces a similar fate when dealing with his sobriety, should they do the hard work to get sober or just keep drinking and face potentially disastrous consequences.I probably butchered these examples. Nishant can tell it better than me. If you are in privacy either operational or legal then buy this book. You won’t regret it.

This book offers very thorough coverage of the topic of Privacy Engineering. It is well organized and does a good job of hammering in important concepts. I got both the Kindle and the Print version of the book, and the print version has some quality control issues -- faint text (grey text) through a lot of it, and hard to read even in bright indoor lighting. It was fine by a window in natural light. The kindle version is way more readable, especially with regards to diagrams which are in color whereas the print version ends up grey-on-grey.I understand this book to be a companion to the DataProtocol video course on that website (created by the same author) and in support of a Privacy Engineering certification offered by the author.Nishant clearly has deep domain knowledge on Privacy Engineering and a lot of exposure to modern technology, and this book is undoubtedly a great resource for anyone entering this area of specialty.

I’m a privacy professional looking to get more proficient, or at least more familiar with, privacy engineering.This book is terrific in both of these aspects.While I was familiar with some of the concepts, it certainly opened my eyes to the many possibilities to improve and enhance my approach towards privacy and data protection.I know I will be rereading and referring to this book often.I can also recommend the website “data protocol”, who the author has partnered with. That website offers a certification in privacy engineering that is based off this book. The author hosts approximately 95% of the videos associated with this certification course.

I often see TPMs spearheading privacy-related initiatives: GDPR, CCPA, CPRA, DSAR, and some other scary acronyms. There is always a fair amount of ambiguity around them.What I like about this book is that it is written from an engineering perspective with practical guidelines that any TPM (technical program manager), TL (tech lead), or System Architects can put into action while defining the Privacy strategy for their companies, for all the 𝙙𝙤𝙚𝙧𝙨....𝙙𝙤𝙚𝙧𝙨 𝘰𝘱𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘪𝘻𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘦𝘹𝘦𝘤𝘶𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘺 ...In every company worked as a TPM in the past decade, I had to work on Privacy one way or another. Whether it was Data Governance, GDPR compliance, or enabling processing customers' requests to handle their data. This book gave me a structured knowledge base, that I am now applying for my current work.

This book is the most comprehensive data privacy resource I have come across! It's perfect for all individuals looking to expand their practical, theoretical, and operational, understanding of Data Privacy Engineering. I am not an engineer, but I work as a specialist in building out Data Privacy Engineering teams and programs for organizations. While I am not a technical expert myself, I was very much so able to follow along and get tangible benefit from the reading. The metaphors, examples, and experiences outlined are incredibly insightful and a genuinely fun read!I can’t wait to utilize more of Nishant’s articles & podcasts in the field to further enhance my ability to consult clients and candidates.

Très utile