Q&A

Paul Wing: Privacy's Northern Light

Paul Wing, former Scotiabank information security leader, says Canada and the United States need revamped privacy policies and practices

By Scott Berinato

the United States.

With an issue like privacy, many people often try to take a pragmatic approach to addressing the issue—trying to figure out, say, a return on investment for being a good corporate citizen with privacy. You seem to think more big-picture than practical.

Well, I believe that, in fact, doing right by privacy does eventually contribute to the bottom line and make you a better company; I also think it's bigger than that. I'm a member of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants. They have something called the Sustainability Reporting Awards. They recognize companies for reporting and disclosure and for accountability. A lot of sustainability reporting is industrial and environmental in nature. You see some around child labor laws, but you don't see much around social-conscience issues like privacy rights. I've been working with these groups trying to figure out how we get privacy built into sustainability reporting. It's going to be a big differentiator.

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