'Cybersecurity' and 'Privacy' Aren't the Same Thing

Vernon Keenan, former director of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, recently referenced law enforcement's challenge accommodating rapid technological advancements. Absent a national regulatory framework, cybersecurity and consumer privacy issues and their associated threats will continue to grow at an accelerating pace.

The terms “cybersecurity” and “privacy” are often used as if they were interchangeable. They are not.

Cybersecurity refers to protecting secure, critical and sensitive data and preventing it from falling into the hands of malicious third parties, be they nation-state actors, business competitors, disgruntled employees or alleged white hat “ethical” researchers. Extensive data breaches, oftentimes facilitated by phishing operations, are now the norm rather than the exception. The Internet of Things, big data, smart applications and cloud computing are all currently operating in an environment mired in regulations, which includes an already complicated security landscape and the recent emergence of activist state attorneys general. A more consistent, uniform regulatory environment—one regulated exclusively by the Federal Trade Commission—is essential.