WHEREAS,  many new and innovative technologies enhance our lives by increasing our ability to communicate, learn, share and produce; and

WHEREAS,  using these new and innovative technologies without safeguards has the potential to compromise the privacy of our personal information, and it is important to protect the privacy of personal information for not only the individual, but for governments, commerce and civil society; and

WHEREAS,  many individuals and companies are unaware of the risks to the privacy of personal information posed by these new and innovative technologies, of data protection and privacy laws or of the specific steps they can take to protect the privacy of personal information; and

WHEREAS,  the United States Congress has through the years encouraged people nationwide to be aware of data privacy and to protect the privacy of their personal information; and

WHEREAS,  National Data Privacy Day constitutes a day of recognition of an international collaboration and a nationwide effort to educate and raise awareness about data privacy and about protecting the privacy of personal information; and

WHEREAS,  government officials and agencies from the United States and around the world, as well as representatives of the business community, nonprofit organizations, privacy professionals, academic communities, legal scholars and educators, are working together to educate and raise awareness about data privacy and about protecting the privacy of personal information; now, therefore, be it