I was honoured recently to speak at the 2nd Latin American International Data Protection Congress in Pereira, Colombia. Pereira is at the heart of Colombia’s famous coffee growing district and, like the rest of the country, is now a safe place to visit. Attendance was feasible as I was already booked to be in California at my own expense and the conference organisers met the additional costs to travel 5,500 km further south.

This week is Connect Smart week. That means you will see and hear about a number of initiatives that underline the need to be cyber-savvy and for people to do more to protect themselves online. The internet is home to networked convenience and fast information but it is also where identity theft, fraud and other kinds of nefarious things happen.