Refusing to Gamble on Privacy

Hughes: Monitoring is one of the areas where, country to country, it's really vague what it actually means and how it's going to be handled. We specify that "monitoring" is a bad word. We aggregate data so it's not personally related. We look at peaks and valleys and when things get out of control. We have a procedure set up so that when it looks like something is wacko, and it looks like we need to actually get in and look at personal information, we involve information security, HR, etc. It's a big procedure to actually monitor an individual. At some level, you have to trust your employees to do the right thing. If it's something like testing of an application, where we're [monitoring] in order to improve the application, we ask people. We tell them what's going on, and we see who wants to do it.

FC: What about privacy matters for people who don't use email or the Internet?

Hughes: When we have to reach people who don't have electronic mail -- people in plants and people working on [production] lines -- we have procedures set up with their managers for getting training and privacy notices to them.

FC: What's the most challenging thing about your job?

Hughes: Consistency! You have to stay on top of every place, all the time -- where there are differences, where things could impact what we already have in place. We have to manage the consistency of what different countries are requiring of us. When standards and rules change, is it going to make an impact on us? Do we need to change? We try to pick the strictest guidelines, so we have to keep looking at anything new that comes up.

FC: Sounds like a full-time job.

Hughes: Pretty much; more than half-time. I have a team of two full-time people.

FC: What else do you do?

Hughes: I'm actually part of the corporate strategy group, which fits really well. If you look at future strategy -- where businesses are going -- it means getting closer to consumers, and that means making sure we protect their privacy.