By now, most of you have likely heard the news that one of the pioneers of privacy, Alan F. Westin, has decided to cease the operations of Privacy & American Business (P&AB). Westin is a dean of American privacy as well as the author of a seminal tome on privacy, Privacy and Freedom, published in 1967. Westin launched P&AB in 1993 when privacy was emerging as a national issue, just before the Internet opened a whole new front in corporate privacy. The IAPP recognized Dr. Westin's contributions to the field of privacy over his entire career with the 2005 Privacy Leadership Award.

But the work is not done by any means.

First let me say that the IAPP has long recognized the importance of Westin's contributions to our field. Westin, in his closing letter to his friends and supporters, noted that P&AB was a "pioneer with our annual conferences." P&AB surveyed the marketplace, launched working groups and supported the privacy profession. Recognizing the global privacy issues that arose for U.S. companies that had to comply with the E.U. Data Protection Directive, Westin organized educational programming on privacy issues beyond U.S. borders.

In his letter, Westin noted that the "consumer privacy scene in the U.S. has shifted - to law compliance, risk assessment, and data security." Westin praised the IAPP for "doing excellent work holding key conferences and supporting the professional functions for corporate officers." We are grateful for his recognition. The IAPP's Board of Directors and our staff would like to express our sincere appreciation and best wishes to Alan and his staff.

While P&AB winds down its work, the IAPP has been busy preparing for another milestone in our five-year history: the IAPP Privacy Academy 2006, Oct. 17-20, in Toronto. This is the first time that we have held a conference outside the U.S. The Academy also will serve as the official launch of the new Certified Information Privacy Professional/Canada, the first professional credential for Canadian privacy professionals. Judging by the current pace of registrations, the Academy in Toronto at the Westin Harbour Castle is expected to surpass attendance at any of our other events.

So, please join the excitement as the IAPP continues to serve the global privacy profession with the best education, certification and networking available to privacy pros. Register today at iapp.org/conference.

We look forward to seeing you next month in Toronto!

J. Trevor Hughes, CIPP
Executive Director, IAPP