Celebrated annually around the world, Data Privacy Day raises awareness and encourages best practices to protect personal data and privacy.
Every time I share the history of Data Privacy Day, especially with my non-privacy colleagues, the reactions remind me why I love working in privacy. People are often surprised to learn that this day has decades of significance, and that privacy is about far more than pop-up cookie notices and overwhelming privacy policies. It is also about protecting people, supporting innovation, and working smarter across teams.
And yes…privacy can sometimes feel like the department of “No.” But it does not have to.
Announcing CITI Program’s New Course: Data Privacy 101
That makes today, January 28, the perfect day to announce CITI Program’s new course, Data Privacy 101!
This course is designed for everyone, and especially for non-privacy professionals who work with privacy, compliance, and legal teams to meet business objectives.
Data Privacy 101 starts with a clear overview of what privacy is, and then explores why privacy matters across different departments within an organization—helping teams collaborate more efficiently and confidently.
This course is not designed as exam prep. Instead, it is focused on practical awareness that supports real work and real decision-making.
How the Course Came to Life
The concept for this course started in mid-2024, when I learned more about CITI Program while visiting their booth at the IoT Tech Expo in Santa Clara, California. We talked about an important gap: privacy knowledge often sits with privacy professionals, when in reality, everyone benefits from understanding the basics.
It has been a great collaboration to develop this course and go through the peer review process. And now, just in time for Data Privacy Day 2026, Data Privacy 101 is available to subscribers as part of CITI Program’s Information Privacy and Security series.
Why Data Privacy Day Exists
Back to the history of Data Privacy Day—yes, there is a reason this day exists!
Data Privacy Day celebrates the recognition of privacy, data protection, and freedom of expression. It began in 2006, when the Council of Europe declared January 28 as Data Protection Day. In 2009, the U.S. House of Representatives followed by recognizing January 28 as National Data Privacy Day.
The date reflects when the Convention for the Protection of Individuals with regard to Automatic Processing of Personal Data (“Convention 108”) was signed on January 28, 1981.
Several earlier historical events helped build the foundation for today’s privacy principles. For example, in 1948 the United Nations General Assembly adopted the Declaration on Human Rights, which included references to rights connected to privacy, freedom of expression, and respect for correspondence. In 1950, Council of Europe members signed an international convention to protect human rights and fundamental freedoms—reinforcing those same values and expanding the right to share information and ideas across national boundaries.
From the 1960s through the 1980s, privacy and data protection laws grew across Europe alongside the rise of personal computers and automated data processing. In 1980, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) published the first set of global privacy guidelines: the OECD Guidelines on the Protection of Privacy and Transborder Flows of Personal Data. Many of today’s familiar privacy concepts—like purpose specification, use limitation, and data quality—connect directly back to these early principles.
To broaden and strengthen privacy protections further, the Council of Europe (which includes both EU and non-EU member states) signed Convention 108 in 1981, establishing the first legally binding international instrument focused on data protection.
A Fun Data Privacy Day Challenge
For fun, ask your colleagues—especially non-privacy professionals—if they know about Data Privacy Day. See if they have any stories about how they successfully protected their data and privacy last year. Keep track of the examples: they can be incredibly useful when brainstorming training scenarios.
And if you get a chance, I would love to hear how about your organization’s experience with CITI Program’s Data Privacy 101 course!
