The Privacy Management Toolkit is a vital privacy reference. 

In the early days of nuclear physics, many people scoffed at the notion that splitting an atom could devastate cities. They simply did not understand the power of the atom. In many ways, privacy is akin to the atom: it sits dormant among the minutiae of life until it is split, or invaded, unleashing forces that can have destructive consequences. 

Myriad incidents this year alone have clearly demonstrated that if privacy is not effectively managed, the fallout can be "nuclear." Just consider the number of times that the loss of customer data has created firestorms. One incident can affect millions of clients and cost companies many more millions in downstream liability. 

For those who are serious about privacy--and everyone should be--The Privacy Management Toolkit is an invaluable instrument for achieving privacy compliance. Its eight chapters and eleven appendices cover every aspect of privacy relevant to an organization. Every crucial area is discussed, from creating a privacy governance program and defining personally identifiable information to understanding U.S. and international privacy-related laws and implementing privacy-enhancing technologies. 

After performing a self-assessment, many organizations will find that their data are far less private than they thought. But privacy is too important to be left unmanaged, given the explosive consequences of its compromise. This is a very useful resource for managing organizational privacy initiatives.