As expected, the CES 2020 in Las Vegas introduced new tech toys that will be the subject of conversations for days to come. However, the one thing that likely will command larger attention is privacy, and mostly because big tech players have become more serious in tackling concerns on the matter.
One particular program on the annual event that elicited interest is that of the Chief Privacy Officer Roundtable, in which four privacy experts from giant companies like Apple and Facebook sat down and discussed the privacy challenges confronting the world today. The talk focused on privacy in relation to the use of technology.
GeekWire said the topic is even more relevant today due to the continued growth of the data-driven economy, and inevitably the expansion raises the question of privacy protection, especially on the part of consumers.
Noteworthy, too, is that in the effort to address privacy concerns, Apple has decided to make use of the CES platform after almost three decades of absence and add its voice to the conversation. The company was represented by Jane Horvath, senior director for global privacy.
Horvath touched on the measures that Apple is implementing, which, according to her, are governed by the principle of "privacy by design and data minimization." She added the iPhone maker is ready to deploy technologies that would help combat abuses.
"We are utilizing some technologies to help screen for child sexual abuse material," Engadget reported the Apple executive as saying.
Facebook, too is taking pains to make clear that the company treats user privacy as an important issue and this light of the Cambridge Analytica scandal and the $5 billion fine imposed on the company by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). The social media giant's representative, Erin Egan, gave an assurance that data shared by users on the platform are protected.
Like Apple, Facebook is utilizing a business model that is designed as "privacy-protective," Egan said.
Not to be outdone, Google is also making sure that privacy protection is embedded in the company's products and services. For instance, the company said the updated voice commands in use on Google Assistant gives users the power to control the information they share, according to CNN.
By just instructing Google Assistant to delete specific data, the AI bot will execute the command as specified by users. Google said one might want to delete all the data inputs in the service for a period of seven days, and Google Assistant will do the job.
Clearly and in time for the CES 2020, tech companies are making known to the world that they care deeply about data protection, leading the same CNN report to declare: "The hottest product at this year's CES technology conference may just be privacy."
