SOURCE: IAPP

October 24, 2007 15:00 ET

The IAPP Unveils Winners of the 2007 HP-IAPP Privacy Innovation Awards

Eli Lilly and Company, Calif. Office of Privacy Protection and Novell, Inc. Receive Privacy Awards During the IAPP Privacy Academy 2007 in San Francisco

YORK, ME--(Marketwire - October 24, 2007) - The International Association of Privacy Professionals (IAPP) today announced that two private sector organizations and one public sector privacy agency are the winners of the HP-Privacy Innovation Award.

The annual awards, which recognize privacy leadership and are judged from a field of entries, were presented today during the IAPP Privacy Academy 2007 in San Francisco. The winners were determined by a panel of public sector and private sector privacy experts that include David Loukidelis, Information and Privacy Commissioner for British Columbia, Canada; Scott Taylor, CIPP, Chief Privacy Officer (CPO), Hewlett-Packard Company; Brian Tretick, CIPP, Principal, Ernst & Young; and Alan Chapell, CIPP, Founder, Chapell & Associates.

"This year's competition produced three clear winners who deserve recognition for their innovative contributions to privacy protection and awareness in 2007," said IAPP Board President Kirk M. Herath, CIPP/G, Associate Vice President, Chief Privacy Officer, Associate General Counsel, Nationwide Insurance Companies. "The IAPP is proud to recognize these privacy leaders for programs and products that are promoting sound privacy practices within the private and public sectors."

"HP is proud to continue to sponsor an award that encourages innovative practices that advance privacy and data protection," said Taylor, HP's CPO. "These awards serve an excellent way to highlight and share some of the best practices in the privacy profession."

In the Large Organization category (more than 5,000 employees), Eli Lilly and Company won for its global privacy program, which includes procedures for customer, consumer and employee information as well as an array of cutting-edge compliance tools for internal audit, vendor compliance and privacy training. Headquartered in Indianapolis, Lilly provides answers -- through medicines and information -- for some of the world's most urgent medical needs.

Eli Lilly and Company's program was a stand-out in this category because instead of simply directing its suppliers to implement privacy protections, the company shared its tools and training to allow suppliers and business partners to help them achieve Lilly's best practices. The program trained more than 40,000 individuals from both within and outside the enterprise. Lilly's entry won among a competitive field of entrants that included privacy impact assessments, privacy training programs and identity theft awareness campaigns.

"As part of an industry dealing with sensitive patient information, Lilly appreciates the importance of consumer privacy and the mission of the IAPP to elevate the awareness of this issue," said Stan Crosley, Lilly's Chief Privacy Officer. "This is a tremendous honor for Lilly. We hope to honor the spirit of this award by continuing with our absolute commitment to preserving the trust of patients, physicians and customers. The information they share with Lilly allows us to be in the forefront researching new medicines specifically tailored to the individual, which has the potential to revolutionize patient care."

The winner in the Small Organization category (less than 5,000 employees), is the California Office of Privacy Protection, the first state agency in the nation dedicated to consumer privacy. Founded in 2001, the 9-person office is devoted to providing privacy services to California consumers and organizations.

"The California privacy office is a truly innovative approach to consumer protection and business outreach," remarked one Innovation Award judge. "There is no other state with the same level of outreach, experience and resources aligned to this topic. A business may not always like a particular privacy-related law, but the level of guidance and support given is unmatched."

"We are honored to receive this award and proud to be contributing to California's leadership role in protecting consumer privacy," said Joanne McNabb, Chief of the California Office of Privacy Protection.

This year, the HP-IAPP Privacy Innovation Technology Award was the most popular category for nominations, with many technology vendors competing for recognition of their innovative product or service. This year's winner is the Bandit® project, an open source identity project sponsored by global infrastructure software company Novell for its DigitalMe® technology, which helps users manage digital identity cards used in Web transactions.

"DigitalMe is a great example of innovative technology," remarked one Innovation Award judge. "It helps manage credentials and other personal information during interactions with Web sites, and could be used in Web 2.0 environments. This entry is truly thoughtful and innovative."

Based on working code from the Bandit project and interoperable with components from the Eclipse Higgins Project, DigitalMe is functionally equivalent to Microsoft Windows CardSpace. However, it expands user-centric technology beyond Windows to also serve Linux and Macintosh users.

DigitalMe allows for a user-centric identity model that empowers users, not Web sites, to control how sensitive identity information is presented. Users are able to manage multiple digital identity cards to control identity data, including name, address, email and credit card information. Users may obtain the cards through third-party companies or they may create the cards themselves. When a user visits an information card-compatible Web site, the site presents a menu of digital cards to assist in the transaction. The user then selects the appropriate card and the credentials are then sent to third-party site for authorization, which is then sent securely back to the user's system to complete the transaction.

"This award further validates the Bandit project's commitment to increasing the adoption of a user-centric approach to identity management," said Dale Olds, Novell distinguished engineer and Bandit project leader. "The DigitalMe information card selector helps users to protect their privacy by controlling the flow of identity information."

Background on the HP-IAPP Privacy Innovation Awards

Now in their fifth year, the HP-IAPP Privacy Innovation Awards recognize organizations that have embraced privacy both for its competitive advantage as well as its role in improving the customer experience. A panel of judges selected by the IAPP evaluates entries based on the programs' structure and effectiveness.

ABOUT THE IAPP

The International Association of Privacy Professionals is the world's largest association of privacy professionals with more than 4,000 members in 32 countries. The IAPP helps to define and support the privacy profession through networking, education and certification. More information about the IAPP is available at www.privacyassociation.org.