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Episode 260 – Jon Bello: The Evolution of Privacy in the Philippines and Across Asia

In this episode of The Data Diva Talks Privacy Podcast, Debbie Reynolds, The Data Diva, speaks with Jon Bello, Partner at MBS Law Offices and IAPP 2025 Vanguard of the Year, about how the Philippines has emerged as a regional leader in privacy and data protection. They discuss how the country transitioned from business process outsourcing compliance to a culture of national awareness, and how its unique cultural and legal frameworks continue to influence privacy in Asia. Jon explains that the Philippines was one of the first Asian nations to pass a comprehensive data privacy law after the EU Data Directive but before the GDPR. He and Debbie examine how the Filipino language lacks a direct translation for the word “privacy,” reflecting a family-centric culture that values openness and community. They explore how this cultural context has shaped attitudes toward data sharing and protection. Jon also highlights how the National Privacy Commission has creatively raised public awareness through social media, educational jingles, and outreach campaigns aimed at children.

The discussion explores how the BPO industry contributed to the passage of the 2012 Privacy and Cybersecurity Laws and how many organizations now operate under three concurrent frameworks: U.S. privacy laws, such as HIPAA and PCI DSS, the Philippine Data Privacy Act, and the GDPR. Jon explains the importance of the Philippine requirement for a “privacy manual,” which goes beyond a privacy policy to define accountability and governance, as well as the legal requirement to register Data Protection Officers. Debbie and Jon also examine the region’s growing focus on AI governance, including Japan’s soft-law model and the Philippines’ proposed registration system for high-risk AI. The episode highlights the cultural diversity and context-specific nature of Asia’s privacy frameworks, underscoring their critical role in the global dialogue on privacy and technology.

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Episode 258 – Terry Bollinger: Understanding the Limits of Artificial Intelligence

In this episode of The Data Diva Talks Privacy Podcast, Debbie Reynolds, The Data Diva, speaks with Terry Bollinger, retired technology analyst at MITRE, about the limits of artificial intelligence and the growing risks of relying on systems that only mimic human understanding. They discuss how large language models operate as mimicry machines, imitating intelligence rather than achieving it, and how this design choice leads to fundamental weaknesses in trust, accuracy, and accountability. Terry explains that AI models based on probability and pattern replication erase uniqueness, creating false confidence in their results. He warns that by averaging data rather than analyzing meaning, these systems blur important distinctions, making it difficult to detect errors, anomalies, or malicious activity. Debbie and Terry explore why true privacy and security depend on identifying outliers —the small deviations that reveal hidden threats, rather than relying on average trends.

Terry describes how traditional security systems are built on clearly defined boundaries, data paths, and verification processes, while modern AI systems often remove those controls. He emphasizes that when data is distributed, reweighted, and stored probabilistically, it becomes nearly impossible to verify what has been learned, lost, or leaked. The conversation examines the risks of utilizing LLMs in sensitive environments, where transmitting confidential data to remote commercial systems can compromise containment and integrity. Terry discusses how interpolation, or the act of filling in the blanks when data is missing, leads AI to generate convincing but incorrect answers, what he calls “random noise masquerading as insight.” Debbie and Terry also examine why intelligence, wisdom, and comprehension cannot be replicated through scale or speed. The episode concludes with a reflection on the importance of human judgment, accountability, and boundary control in an era where automation is expanding faster than understanding.

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The Data Diva Talks Privacy Podcast – Episode 257 with Gina King, Cyber vCISO and Communications Consultant, King and Company Capital

Struggling to bridge the gap between business and technology teams? In this episode, Gina King shares how building trust and understanding unlocks stronger security outcomes. She also explains why companies rushing into AI without cleaning up their data first are putting their organizations at serious risk.

Gina and I discuss how she bridges communication between technical teams and business leadership, and why understanding motivations and emotions drives better collaboration. We explore how overlooked “folklore processes” create hidden risks, how insider threats and employee churn accelerate knowledge loss during the AI rush, and why privacy and cybersecurity must work symbiotically. Gina explains why data problems almost always precede privacy problems, the dangers of AI drift and misapplied answers, and the legal risks created by unclear contracts, consent gaps, and ambiguous rights to use AI.

We also examine the growing problem of fake AI companies, data-siphoning tools, and the risk they pose to small businesses, and why business leaders must align their data story before adopting AI.

This podcast reaches listeners in 140+ countries and 3,000+ cities and features leaders shaping global privacy, AI, and emerging technology strategy. If you are a business leader, CISO, or privacy professional, this episode will help you prevent AI chaos by fixing your data story and building trust between teams.

Subscribe to The Data Diva Talks Privacy Podcast for more conversations with global leaders shaping the future of privacy, data, and emerging technology.

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