The annual International Data Privacy Day is coming up on Wednesday, Jan. 28. This global day of awareness is likely on the minds of the many professionals directly involved in the data privacy arena. However, I imagine the vast majority of the world is unaware of this event. In general, people are probably not thinking enough about data privacy, either in their personal life or professional life. This situation may be especially acute in younger generations, where there is an extensive and persistent use of social media.

I admit that I have not “celebrated” Data Privacy Day in the past, as it were. However, I am looking to change that this year. The genesis of Data Privacy Day was the European Union’s first Data Protection Day in 2007. This was followed by the United States in 2009, when the 111th U.S. Congress passed House Resolution 31 to support a National Data Privacy Day.

When I started looking into the event recently, I noticed that there appears to be quite a limited amount of buzz around this occasion. Some of the online resources and even social media contact points for the event are very dated. For example, the most current post on the International Privacy Day Facebook page is from 2012. One organization that appears to be leading the online charge is the National Cyber Security Alliance at StaySafeOnline.org. It even publishes a set of promotional materials that can be utilized by any organization.

I believe it is more important than ever that organizations, individuals and society as a whole increase their awareness when it comes to privacy. With today’s world of social, mobile, cloud, big data and analytics, never have so many had access to so much for so little. Regardless of where one exists along the privacy-concerned to privacy-unconcerned spectrum, it is important for people to have a healthy awareness of data privacy. Even if an individual is almost completely unconcerned with his or her information’s privacy, he or she still need to make informed, appropriate choices about the data of others.

Therefore, I encourage people to participate in this year’s event. Let’s get the word out to our organizations and to the organizations with which we interact in both professional and personal realms. We should promote discussions on privacy-related issues and work to increase awareness in our various communities. The event can also be a catalyst for reviewing privacy in our own environment that could lead to various improvements. Please join me in trying to boost the buzz and impact of this year’s International Data Privacy Day.