SIA Publishes New Privacy Code of Conduct

The Security Industry Association (SIA) wants security providers to make a stronger commitment to user privacy. To that end, the organization has released a new Privacy Code of Conduct that lays out a set of privacy principles and ethical best practices for data protection.

The Code of Conduct is designed to serve as a set of guidelines for those looking to implement a proper privacy program. Such a program should be compliant with international regulatory requirements, and include strong security measures to make sure that cybercriminals cannot gain access to people’s personal information.

However, the SIA stressed that a good privacy policy should go beyond technical specifications. The Code of Conduct was written based on the assumption that privacy is a fundamental human right, and the SIA is asking security providers to display a similar commitment to those principles. In other words, the SIA wants businesses to embrace privacy because it is the right thing to do, and not because it is something they are obligated to do in a digital environment.

“SIA is proud to continue its leading role on what has quickly become one of the most impactful issues in the industry,” said SIA CEO Don Erickson. “It is essential that SIA members and others implement sound privacy policies for both legal and reputational reasons, and the Privacy Code of Conduct can form the basis of those policies.”

The new Code of Conduct was put together by the SIA’s Data Privacy Advisory Board, which was formed in 2017. The SIA will follow the Code of Conduct with a Privacy Code of Practice that will contain more details about the concrete steps that organizations can take to ensure people’s privacy. The Code of Practice will be published on July 20, during an event at ISC West.

Both documents reflect the SIA’s ongoing commitment to data protection. The organization released its original Privacy Framework in 2010, and it has consistently tried to educate its members about the latest developments in data security in the years that followed.

–

June 25, 2021 – by Eric Weiss