If we are to survive as a free and prosperous society, we must replace the zero-sum (win/lose) meme with positive-sum (win/win) messaging, which will allow us to be serious about building innovative systems that integrate both privacy and public safety, without either one being compromised, allowing us to achieve doubly-enabling solutions.

GPS by Design is the vehicle through which a positive-sum, win/win model will promote research and development of policies and concomitant  technical systems designed with both objectives of privacy and functionality in mind, thus ensuring that both privacy AND public safety can be achieved without sacrificing the efficacy of one for the other.

Privacy by Design (PbD) is a framework which seeks to proactively embed privacy protective measures into the design of information technologies, networked infrastructure and business practices, in an effort to prevent privacy harms and data breaches from arising. PbD is a model of prevention; by identifying potential risks proactively, one may then embed the necessary measures into programs and IT to prevent the harms from arising – bake privacy-protective measures directly into the code, into the data architecture, resulting in positive-sum solutions. A key step is strong security, which is featured as an essential component: while privacy subsumes a much broader set of protections than security alone, if you don't lead with strong security, end-to-end, with full lifecycle protection, you will never have good privacy.

Privacy by Design has already achieved a global presence, having been translated into 38 languages.  In 2010, Privacy by Design was unanimously passed as an International framework, and is a key regulatory platform in the EU, U.S, Japan, and other countries.

Dr. Ann Cavoukian served three terms as the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario, Canada from 1997 to 2014, and is widely-recognized as the creator of Privacy by Design. Dr. Cavoukian now leads the Privacy and Big Data Institute at Ryerson University in Toronto, Canada.

Ever since the tragic events of 9/11, and the terrorist acts that have followed, privacy has increasingly been cast as an antagonist of public safety. This zero-sum, win/lose paradigm of privacy vs. public safety is not only wrong, it is extremely dangerous, and must be brought to an end.  It is wrong because privacy and public safety can indeed co-exist, resulting in greater efficacy for both. It is dangerous because in the tension between privacy and public safety, privacy will always lose, and this loss will directly endanger not only freedom, but the prosperity that we enjoy as a free and open society.

Recent advances in encryption technology, such as more secure mobile access and end-to-end encryption, have revamped the playing field by making it more difficult for governments to readily access encrypted personal information at will. Governments are growing increasingly concerned about these technological trends and are now calling for the creation of “backdoors” into encrypted content, that is, special “keys” reserved for them to allow unfettered access into people’s encrypted communications – in other words, greater expansion of the surveillance network blanketing all individuals in society.

In addition, massive technological changes in all things connected via the emerging “Internet of Things,” which some are calling the "Internet of Everything" are coming to the fore. While such innovation has the potential to dramatically improve our lives, it also has a dystopian side in that it may create the opportunity for greater subversive surveillance, at an unimaginable scale, which can overlay our communications and activities behind the scenes, without the knowledge or consent of those involved.

As a result of all of this, we as a society are at a nexus. Should we continue down this road of more intrusive surveillance and less privacy, we will not only become less safe as a society, but will also become less prosperous. Respect for the privacy of all individuals in a society not only forms the bedrock of freedom but also of innovation and its resulting prosperity. We have the capability to reverse this ominous zero-sum technological trend. As a society we can develop systems that protect privacy AND public safety, privacy AND business interests.  These are positive sum solutions which we must promote and develop, not the freedom-killing zero-sum directions of the past.

This is why GPS by Design Council is not only timely -- it is critically important to society as a whole.

The goal of GPS by Design is to rid the world of limiting zero-sum thinking, and replace it with the doubly-enabling possibilities of positive-sum paradigms. If people could understand that win/win propositions are not only possible but preferable, we believe they would embrace them. If one could have both privacy AND security, privacy AND business interests, preserving the best of both – why wouldn’t you? Our initial goal is to spread the messaging that this is indeed both possible and desirable, leading to endless new initiatives. Abandon zero-sum; embrace positive-sum! The loss of privacy is said to be the regression of a society towards an uncivilized society, lacking in freedom. Let’s make sure this doesn’t become a reality.

The required mind shift in society requires massive education and raising of awareness. It also requires pro-active design of the systems and the technologies that we put into place.  To this end, GPS by Design wants to foster and fund research which focuses on utilizing current advances such as AI and machine learning, together with other technologies like blockchain and encryption, to develop systems that protect both privacy and public safety.

We must demonstrate that we can indeed have both privacy and public safety, otherwise our freedom and prosperity will be forfeited, which in our view, is simply too high a price to pay.

Privacy revolves around personal control over one's data. As individuals, we must have both privacy and security, in equal measure. We need not give up on privacy, we simply need to embed it into design, along with security. By joining the GPS by Design International movement you can become a part of achieving this end:  here’s to the end of zero-sum paradigms, and a future filled with privacy, security, freedom, innovation and prosperity!

Anyone who values freedom, privacy, prosperity, security and public safety should become part of the GPS by Design movement to spread the word that you can indeed have privacy AND functionality.

Technologists can join in developing methods that will deliver both privacy and public safety; privacy and data analytics. Policy-makers, lawyers, and politicians and citizens interested in preserving our freedoms and prosperity should join us in this endeavour.

We will be established as a not-for-profit organization, so all donations will be tax-deductible.

If you have questions, comments or suggestions about our organization, the work we do, or Privacy by Design in general, we’d love to hear from you. We’re always ready to hear from like-minded people who want a future filled with privacy, security, freedom, innovation and prosperity. Email us directly at admin@gpsbydesign.org, or fill out our Contact Us form here.