Ugh. Keeping up with things that impact our company and our clients in over 230 countries is a 24-hours-a-day job. It causes me some sleepless nights, but it’s getting better. There are resources that I have found that help, and I’m happy to share them with you. Maybe it will help you sleep a little better too.
International Association of Privacy Professionals (IAPP)
This association is the primary group for individuals focused on privacy. You do not need to be a member to access some of the materials, although membership does unlock a lot of information.
The Digests are free email publications containing summaries of key privacy topics. They are specific to regions and take just a few minutes to scan for relevant information. To sign up for one or more of the Digests, go to https://iapp.org/news/.
Relevant Digests are:
- Daily Dashboard: Comes out daily and provides global privacy-related news, including information on the United States.
- Canada Dashboard Digest: Covers Canadian news.
- Asia-Pacific Dashboard Digest: Covers the APAC countries.
- Latin America Dashboard Digest: Covers the Latin American region. This Digest is in Spanish only.
- Europe Data Protection Digest: Covers the European region.
In addition to the Digests, IAPP has made a few more resources available to non-members. The recorded webinars are excellent. To access this information, create a profile, which will create your log in. Key information available to non-members is under Tools and under Web Conferences. If you think you may be impacted by the new EU General Data Protection Regulation (and you probably are), then I highly recommend the three-part “Knowing and Implementing the GDPR” series.
Professional Background Screening Association (PBSA, formerly NAPBS)
NABPS is the primary group for the background screening industry and supports screening professionals globally. If you have a free hour, call me, and I will tell you all about the benefits you can get from NAPBS. Like so many things, what you get out of NAPBS depends on what you give. Don’t just join; be active. It’s amazing what information is shared when working on committees and task forces. Also, the relationships you forge will help to keep you up to date. NAPBS has several useful publications available to members. The “Thursday Letter” provides a quick snapshot of key items for the week. The “Journal” is published every couple of months and contains more in-depth articles. The conferences provide valuable information on key topics.
Supplier and Competitor Blogs and Email Notifications
These can give you information that is very local and relevant to the screening industry, and they can help you keep up with new products and services your clients may be looking at.
The Global Background Screener
This is an eZine published every other month by Barry Nixon. It is especially helpful for someone new to global screening. You may already be familiar with The Background Buzz by the same publisher.
These sites provide emailed links to documents written by global attorneys. Registration is free and you can customize the topics you want to see. They also have additional resources on their web pages.
Data Protection Authority Websites and Email Notifications
Check out last month’s blog to get the details on these fantastic resources.
Attorney Blogs and Email Publications
There are several great global law firms with blogs and email publications. Go to their websites and look under “News” or “Resources”. Many will have options to sign up for email notifications.
Your Network
This is one of the best resources to keep yourself up to date. Cultivate a strong network. Remember to share as well as receive. Be thankful for what your network provides you.
If you sign up for a fraction of the email notifications I get, you will find yourself very well informed. Yes, it can be a lot of emails in your inbox, but scanning them can be done very quickly and is easily done on a smartphone. (Just don’t do this while sitting in traffic, as that may count as texting while driving and is dangerous anyway.) I use WunderList to tag relevant articles for reading and archiving later.
Above all, be reasonable with your expectations and set your clients’ expectations to be reasonable as well. You will never be on top of everything 100% of the time. Use your network, scan your primary news sources, and keep one ear open for new information. If you need more information, please consider me a part of your network. I can be reached at [email protected].
| Kerstin Bagus – Director, Global Initiatives
Kerstin Bagus supports ClearStar’s Global Screening Program as its Director of Global Initiatives. She has more than 30 years of background screening industry experience, working for a variety of firms, large and small. Kerstin is one of the few individuals in the industry who is privacy-certified through the International Association of Privacy Professionals (IAPP) for Canada, the EU, and the U.S. Kerstin is a passionate participant in the Professional Background Screening Association (PBSA, formerly NAPBS) and is a current member of the Board, in addition to participating on several committees. She also participates on IFDAT’s Legal Committee, with a primary focus on global data privacy. |
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At ClearStar, we are committed to your success. An important part of your employment screening program involves compliance with various laws and regulations, which is why we are providing information regarding screening requirements in certain countries, region, etc. While we are happy to provide you with this information, it is your responsibility to comply with applicable laws and to understand how such information pertains to your employment screening program. The foregoing information is not offered as legal advice but is instead offered for informational purposes. ClearStar is not a law firm and does not offer legal advice and this communication does not form an attorney client relationship. The foregoing information is therefore not intended as a substitute for the legal advice of a lawyer knowledgeable of the user’s individual circumstances or to provide legal advice. ClearStar makes no assurances regarding the accuracy, completeness, or utility of the information contained in this publication. Legislative, regulatory and case law developments regularly impact on general research and this area is evolving rapidly. ClearStar expressly disclaim any warranties or responsibility or damages associated with or arising out of the information provided herein.
