Amazon Astro, Connecticut, and US global data privacy group

Happy Thursday! Today, we’re finishing up our time in the Big Easy, but we’ve enjoyed seeing everyone’s faces, eating great food, and listening to the great sounds of this city. Below, Seanna shares some insights into previous work trips. 

A few years ago, I worked for another startup that, while not remote, was spread across a few cities in the same state and had a couple of stragglers in other parts of the country. So, once a year, we’d all get together for a large retreat at an event venue between the two main cities we were in. The place was cute — surrounded by country, in the middle of nowhere. There was a literal ghost town on the property and a dirt road that led to nowhere. Okay, maybe it was a little uncomfortable.

But more than that, the problem I always had on these trips is that I had to share a room with someone I didn’t really know that well. 

It feels impossible in the days of COVID-19, but yes, you read that right. 

They wanted each of us to get to know someone we didn’t know at the company. And while that’s fine (I guess?!) on college campuses, I was hitting my mid 20s. I didn’t know the person sleeping in the bed on the opposite wall, and after a long night, I didn’t necessarily want to worry about waking up the other person. And putting all that aside, it’s bordering infringing upon an employee’s privacy and sense of safety. 

It was one of the first questions I had about Osano’s trip to NOLA — frantically, I messaged our Head of People: “Are we each getting our own room?!” and breathed a sigh of relief when the answer was, “Yes!”  I’ve been able to enjoy this trip because I have my own sense of privacy and downtime between events, and for that, I couldn’t feel more comfortable. 

Amazon Astro's data protection features leave privacy experts concerned

Amazon’s home robot works using a ton of personal information in order to personalize your experience with it. It uses facial recognition, maps your home, and uses Alexa’s voice recognition. The problem, of course, is data privacy, as all of this information is then stored in the cloud. 

Learn more about the robot

Bill demands protection of consumer data privacy from technology and social media giants

The Connecticut State Senate passed SB 6 on April 20, making it the fourth state to move forward with data privacy regulations. The bill is focused on creating a framework for controlling and processing personal data as well as defining the responsibilities and privacy protection standards for “data controllers and processors.” 

Read the news

U.S. joins ‘historic’ global group focused on data privacy

Last week, the US announced that it’s joining the Global Cross-Border Privacy Rules (CBPR) Forum, which was established to “romote international data sharing with an emphasis on bridging differences in privacy frameworks.” While the Global CBPR will help ease the transfer of data across countries, it will also work on evolving data protection and privacy standards.

Learn about the Global CBPR 

Osano is in high-growth mode!

We’re hiring experienced Account Executives to enthusiastically represent our people, product, and ideals. It’s a perfect opportunity for someone who’s curious, likes to build processes, and wants to have a visible impact. 

Apply Now!