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Keith Enright

Chief Privacy Officer and Vice President at Google / Board Director

Keith Enright is a prominent figure in the field of data privacy, serving as the Chief Privacy Officer and Vice President at Google until his recent departure in 2024. He joined Google in March 2011 and played a crucial role in leading the company's global privacy legal, compliance, and consumer protection teams for over 13 years. His tenure included significant responsibilities in safeguarding user data and implementing security policies across Google's extensive operations worldwide.123

Professional Background

  • Education: Enright holds a Bachelor of Arts degree, summa cum laude, from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and a Juris Doctor from George Washington University School of Law. He was actively involved in both the Trial Court and Alternative Dispute Resolution boards during his law studies.7
  • Previous Roles: Before joining Google, he was the senior-most privacy executive at two Fortune 500 companies, including Macy's, where he managed enterprise privacy management. He also worked as a senior consultant at IBM and served as General Counsel for an advertising technology company.1257

Contributions at Google

At Google, Enright was instrumental in shaping the company's approach to privacy and data protection amidst increasing regulatory scrutiny. He represented Google in discussions with various policymakers, including members of Congress and international data protection authorities. His leadership extended to overseeing compliance efforts related to emerging technologies, particularly artificial intelligence.467

Enright has been a frequent speaker at major industry events and academic institutions, discussing topics related to online privacy and data security. His insights have been shared on platforms like NBC Nightly News, CNN, and NPR.126

Departure from Google

In June 2024, Enright announced his departure from Google, stating that he would not be replaced as part of a broader restructuring initiative within the company. This decision came amid ongoing challenges regarding user data privacy and security concerns that had surfaced over the years.34 Following his exit from Google, he joined Gibson Dunn & Crutcher as a partner, focusing on AI, technology innovation, and privacy issues.8

Current Roles

Currently, Enright serves on the Board of Directors for Zoom Information, Inc., and DECODE, a nonprofit organization aimed at fostering innovation and entrepreneurship in technology. He is also involved with various advisory boards related to privacy governance.157

Enright's extensive experience positions him as a leader in navigating complex legal landscapes surrounding data privacy and technology.

Highlights

Jun 4 · linkedin

I’m feeling lucky.

This will be an uncharacteristically personal post from a guy who predictably tends to keep things private.  After over 13 years at Google, I’m ready for a change, and will be moving on this fall, taking all that I’ve learned and trying something new.  I'm incredibly proud of the team we built, and the work we did to keep billions of people around the world safe and in control.  Google set out to organize the world’s information, and make it universally accessible and useful, and it’s been an immense privilege to advance that mission while protecting individual privacy and putting people in control of their information.  With thoughtful legal counsel, we supported teams that helped make smartphones more accessible to billions of people all over the world, removing economic barriers to the immense benefits of technology.  We counseled tools for free expression, and  for safer, more private, more secure communication.  We’ve helped bring ground-breaking privacy enhancing technologies to market, allowing people to do more while sharing less personal data.  We helped to save lives as we worked to make privacy-preserving exposure notification technology available around the world in an effort to fight the global pandemic. And, while still in its nascent stages, we’ve tried to inform a foundation for responsible AI governance, applying lessons learned from many years of working with regulators and policymakers around the world on responsible information practices as the law evolved around privacy and data protection.

I'm grateful for the relationships that flourished along the way.  I’m not referring exclusively to the Googlers.  I'm grateful for the regulators, policy makers and advocates who relentlessly pressed to make us better, to challenge our presumptions, and to keep us humble.  Many thanks to my friends across industry and across the privacy profession, and to my tremendous outside counsel partners who supported me through moments that shaped and changed the rule of law around the world.

Perhaps the greatest epiphany I’ve had over the past few years is the realization that one’s legacy is not the things you build, the things you put your name on, or the laurels that others lay at your feet along the way.  It’s the relationships, the friendships you forge, your mentors and mentees, the positive impact you have on the lives of those around you, and the changes they bring about in you.  Cheers to my Google family, the alumni who’ve left, and the Googlers who remain, to the adventures we’ve had so far, and to the incredible things we’ve yet to do.

I can’t wait to get started…

#Privacy #Google William Malcolm, Troy Sauro, Liz Eraker Palley, Will DeVries, Jessica G Lee, Matt Wolf, Lydia Cruz, Per Meyerdierks, Jonathan Dunne, Kelly Cooke, Kori Kelley Meehan, Nicole Wong, Kent Walker, Halimah DeLaine Prado, IAPP - International Association of Privacy Professionals, Centre for Information Policy Leadership (CIPL)

Jun 3 · linkedin

A friend of mine shared this clip with me today. Prescient and fascinating for those of us arguing for stronger legal protections for privacy.

Related Questions

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Keith Enright
Keith Enright, photo 1
Keith Enright, photo 2
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Location

San Francisco Bay Area