We all know someone (or maybe you're that person) that tries to live off the data grid as much as possible. They don't participate in grocery store rewards programs; ad blockers are turned on; cookies disabled; they wouldn't be caught dead on social media. They value their data to an extreme... and it's not hard to understand why. 

Finding a news story these days where some organization's customer data has been breached (looking at you Equifax, Target, Home Depot, Uber....) is as easy as checking out google news.  Even worse there are the companies who haven't been breached, they just actively allow your data to be actively mined and used for purposes you were never aware of (Hey, Facebook). These breaches and intrusions into individuals personal information cause real harm, lead to a great deal of mistrust by consumers, and impact the ability for corporate citizens with positive intentions to innovate and drive value to the same individuals. 

At the same time that data breaches and privacy intrusions are popping up at an uncomfortable rate, the technology space for collecting, categorizing, visualizing, and targeting data is growing even more rapidly. Look at nearly any technology, marketing, product, or customer success focused conference and you're sure to see sessions, if not a full track, dedicated to the all encompassing big data story.  Looking at one specific industry, such as the world of email, data is leveraged to inform what to send, to whom, and when. The thought of stripping away access to these fundamental insights seems terrifying to companies who are constantly looking for a way to increase engagement and conversion.  So what are companies to do? How do you mesh the desire and ability to leverage an abundance of valuable insights, with the resonsibility to do so in a careful and permitted way?

In this talk we'll journey through the world of data at our fingertips; the privacy concerns and subsequent regulations that come with so much information; and, how to operate a business that does both the "Right" thing for the consumer, whithout impact the ability to innovate, personalize, and grow.