Promising Privacy Tech

Jul 8, 2024

Irene Knapp, a former Google privacy expert, discusses Privacy Enhancing Technologies that protect personal data while still allowing for data insights. She shares insights into Google's privacy approach and her experiences at the company. Topics include secure multi-party computation, zero-knowledge proofs, and the challenges of balancing privacy with data collection in the age of AI.

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Intro

00:00 • 4min

Ensuring Safety in Software and Privacy at Tech Companies

04:20 • 6min

Exploring Leadership Changes and Privacy Teams at a Tech Company

10:27 • 2min

Evolution of Privacy Principles at Google

12:35 • 21min

Exploring Privacy Rights and Technologies

33:52 • 12min

Exploring Secure Multi-Party Computation and Zero Knowledge Proofs for Privacy Tech

45:53 • 2min

Privacy Technology, Regulatory Scrutiny, and Amazon Book Marketing

47:59 • 23min

We're generating a ridiculous amount of data every day. Much of it is highly personal and that's dangerous. But there are actually several Privacy Enhancing Technologies that may allow us to use this personal data to improve our collective quality of life without ruining the privacy of the data subjects. I'll be discussing these PETs with Irene Knapp who spent five years working in the privacy department at Google. I will also spend a good bit of time asking them about what it's like working at Google and get some insights about the company's approach to privacy from the inside. (Spoiler: it's not good.) Interview Notes Internet Safety Labs: https://internetsafetylabs.org/about-us/ Irene’s Google departure post: https://medium.com/@Irenes/on-the-occasion-of-leaving-google-b8c7029c8d8b Coworker.org: https://coworker.org Google loses privacy chief: https://www.techspot.com/news/103268-google-privacy-chief-head-competition-law-leaving-not.html Further Info BOOK SURGE!! https://fdsd.me/booksurge Send me your questions! https://fdsd.me/qna Subscribe to the newsletter: https://fdsd.me/newsletter Become a patron! https://www.patreon.com/FirewallsDontStopDragons Get your Firewalls Don’t Stop Dragons Merch! https://fdsd.me/merch Give the gift of privacy and security: https://fdsd.me/coupons Table of Contents Use these timestamps to jump to a particular section of the show. 0:01:40: Interview setup 0:03:56: What is Internet Safety Labs and what do you do there? 0:05:45: Why do we not have liability in the software industry? 0:07:02: How did you come to work for Google and what was your experience like there? 0:07:58: What caused you to eventually leave? 0:10:26: How did private policy evolve while you were at Google? 0:12:36: What was happening in Google that impeded your efforts? 0:19:19: How does Google compare to other companies like Facebook? 0:20:56: What's your take on Google's new Privacy Sandbox technology? 0:27:24: Can we do some good with all the data we're collecting? 0:33:51: From where do we derive a legal right to privacy? 0:35:10: How does differential privacy work? 0:38:49: Where might we use differential privacy? 0:41:59: What is homomorphic encryption and how does it work? 0:44:47: Are there any other promising PETs? 0:46:49: How do zero knowledge proofs work? 0:49:20: Which of the PETs seem most promising right now? 0:51:20: Do we need privacy regulations to save us here? 0:56:19: What's next for you? 0:58:31: Interview wrap-up 1:00:52: BOOK SURGE!!