Final answer:
The most time-consuming strategic task for a privacy professional is developing and enforcing policies that ensure the protection of sensitive information while maintaining cybersecurity, balancing healthcare benefits with privacy risks, and navigating the complexities of government surveillance and personal freedom.
Step-by-step explanation:
The most time-consuming task of a privacy professional of a strategic nature involves developing and implementing policies that address the protection of personal, financial, and medical information within organizations while also ensuring cybersecurity. Due to the complexities of online privacy and security, this task often includes comprehensive risk assessments, regular reviews of existing security measures, staying updated with the latest cyber threats, and ensuring compliance with various data protection laws. As highlighted by large-scale data breaches affecting companies such as Target and financial institutions like JP Morgan, the importance of securing sensitive information is paramount for protecting individuals from identity theft and maintaining trust in public and private sector organizations.
Additional strategic tasks encompass evaluating the balance between the usage of healthcare data for improving treatments and diagnoses, and the risks to individual privacy. Privacy professionals must develop policies that address questions about the cost of treatments, patient quality of life, and privacy risks. Moreover, given the heightened concern over government surveillance and data collection, professionals in this field must navigate the fine line between securing classified information and protecting personal privacy and freedoms of speech.