Privacat Insights
Chance Conversations with Carey & Conor
Episode 4: From Determinism to Data Protection, a Journey through Privacy: Jason Cronk
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Episode 4: From Determinism to Data Protection, a Journey through Privacy: Jason Cronk

In this episode of Chance Conversations, we welcome R. Jason Cronk, a principal privacy consultant at Enter Privacy Consulting Group. Jason shares insights from his diverse career and deep expertise in privacy engineering, privacy by design practices, and regulatory standards. 

True Randomness & Philosophy: We start off with some unprompted philosophy about … randomness— Jason shares his latest read Determined: A Science of Life Without Free Will1 by Robert M. Sapolsky and explains why he created his own pseudo-random number generator to choose a random number. Epic nerdery indeed.

We get into some deep philosophical discussions, including the implications of predetermination on life, our brains, and decisions we make around consent & autonomy, as well as fuzzy / murky consent. I also take the opportunity to shamelessly mention JM Berger’s Optimal and my Gikii presentation (which I dive into more detail on in this post).

Jason’s Million Dollar Idea: You’ll have to listen in, but I promise, this is so good.

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Hey Policymakers: Theory is Nice, But We Need Some Practical Guidance: Jason shares how one of the biggest glaring problems in privacy and data protection is the lack of specificity in the law, especially when it comes to implementing and building in privacy by design. High-level principles based theory is good, but as he notes “when the rubber hits the road, what does all of this mean and how do you get people to implement it?” Much ranting occurs concerning Article 25 GDPR.

Changing Personal History & Defining Success: Jason reflects on how a different opportunity might have radically reshaped his life. We then go totally off the rails and we end on a discussion of meteors and Armageddon, before coming back to Earth and hearing his views on what success means for him.

Cognitive Biases & Cultural Influences: We all wax on about the different global views on privacy, and Jason leads us back to how cultural influences and biases often shape (or determine) how we think about privacy, autonomy, obligations, and even what approaches to take. This, he argues should be considered and inform practitioners when it comes to training, raising awareness, and informing others about data protection. Jason also shared a new-to-us cognitive bias—the Einstellung Effect, which refers to a person’s predisposition to solve a given problem in a specific manner even though better or more appropriate methods exist. When all you have is a hammer…

Wrapping Up: We close discussing the future of technology and Jason’s dystopian and hopeful futures. Naturally, AI & LLMs came up, as well as overreliance on tools that ‘do it for us’ versus being additive. If you listen in, you might get the inadvertent pun we were dancing around the entire time…

Timeline:

  • 00:00 Introduction to Chance Conversations

  • 00:17 Meet R. Jason Cronk: Privacy Expert

  • 01:08 Explaining the Rules of the Game

  • 02:17 Predetermination and Free Will

  • 05:13 The Concept of Consent in Privacy

  • 09:43 Career Highlights and Aspirations

  • 12:38 Challenges in Privacy Training

  • 14:41 Policy Makers and Privacy Engineering

  • 20:09 Personal Reflections: Decisions That Shaped My Life

  • 22:06 Hypothetical Time Travel: Changing History

  • 23:46 Career Insights: Defining Success

  • 25:02 Global Perspectives on Privacy

  • 29:15 Cognitive Biases and Privacy Training

  • 31:30 Future of Technology: Dystopian vs. Hopeful

  • 37:40 Closing Thoughts and Farewell

Our next guest will be Liz Steininger of Least Authority!

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Discussion about this podcast

Privacat Insights
Chance Conversations with Carey & Conor
In each episode, Carey and Conor invite a guest from the world of data protection, information security, tech, or other interesting industries, to engage in a conversation where chance plays a key role. Guests pick a number that corresponds to a surprise question, blending industry insights, career wisdom, and personal life observations. Neither the guest nor the hosts know the question in advance, ensuring a fresh and spontaneous dialogue.
While it's mostly focused on the guest's unique insights into their chosen career & industry, the charm lies in the unpredictable, human side of the discussion. Listeners will gain valuable insights, practical tips, and enjoy a few laughs along the way.