By: Joe Fay 

Data Privacy Day (known as Data Protection Day in Europe ) falls this Saturday (January 28) and if you haven’t worked out how to mark the day yet, tech vendors and organizations are more than willing to help. 

The international event began as Data Protection Day in Europe in 2007, under the auspices of the Council of Europe, and has since been taken up in the U.S. and other countries. 

Cisco marked it by releasing its 2023 Data Privacy Benchmark Study , which found that 92% of organizations recognized they need to do more to reassure customers about how their data is used, while 94% said customers would walk if their data wasn’t protected properly. 

The survey also claimed widespread support for AI, with 54% of consumers saying they are willing to share anonymized data to improve AI products. However, 60% also said they were concerned about the business use of AI today, while two thirds said the use of AI by organizations had already eroded trust in them. 

CERN, together with fellow European Intergovernmental Research Organization forum members EMBL, ESA and ESO, will mark the day by running a shared webinar on January 30 titled “Let’s talk about Artificial Intelligence ”.  

Apple has marked the day by unveiling a “a new set of educational resources designed to help users take control of their data” in the face of privacy and security threats. The campaign includes a short film explaining how bad actors misuse data, featuring Nick Mohammed, one of the stars of Apple TV+ show, Ted Lasso. 

The Mac and iOS vendor will also run free Today at Apple sessions at stores worldwide demonstrating how to use iPhone privacy features such pass keys, Location Services and Mail Privacy Protection. 

The International Association of Privacy Professionals ran a LinkedIn event earlier this week to market the day. But it also called on its members to celebrate by taking a picture of themselves celebrating, then sharing it on social media along the hashtag #IAPPcelebratesDPD. The organization advised that entered photos must be “public” and that by “using the hashtag you give the IAPP permission to share your image.” 

“Of course, it is a year-round concern, but anything that highlights the importance of privacy in the public’s mind is a good thing.” said Jon France, CISO at (ISC)². “This year will see more high-profile cases of breaches, along with greater focus by regulators with accompanying fines that will likely be larger than last year. Society will double down on protecting privacy. All data should be secure although not all data is private, which is why security is a fundamental foundation of privacy.” 

And finally, the European Union is using the day to mark the anniversary of the Council of Europe’s Convention 108 on the protection of personal information, the first legally binding international law in the field of data protection. It is also promoting its factsheet to help consumers understand their data protection and privacy rights.