Rich Matta

In recent years, the Internet and social media have devolved into a virtual minefield for corporate executives. The pandemic and sociopolitical unrest of 2020 further accelerated the trend, leading to more nastiness and threats than ever. Against this changing backdrop, the field of executive protection has been expanding and redefining itself in real-time. Today, executive protection has advanced far beyond securing locations and bodies in the physical realm to also safeguarding online… Show more

In recent years, the Internet and social media have devolved into a virtual minefield for corporate executives. The pandemic and sociopolitical unrest of 2020 further accelerated the trend, leading to more nastiness and threats than ever. Against this changing backdrop, the field of executive protection has been expanding and redefining itself in real-time. Today, executive protection has advanced far beyond securing locations and bodies in the physical realm to also safeguarding online identities and reputations in the digital realm. Show less

In this divisive election season, there’s one thing we can all agree on: We HATE robocalls. Lately, my home has been targeted with an onslaught of fundraising robocalls from presidential candidates, including the incumbent, sometimes up to several times a day. We all deserve the right not only to request that any organization stop robocalling our home or texting our mobile, but also to ask for the deletion of the personal information that led to their unwanted calls in the first place...

A couple weeks before the Democratic field narrowed on Super Tuesday, as an experiment, I looked up the privacy policies of all the major Democratic presidential campaigns at the time, as well as President Donald Trump’s campaign...

As companies scramble to prepare for the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), taking effect on Jan. 1, I’ve come to see that companies should not approach compliance as a chore. Rather, privacy must be considered a core feature of any consumer product. Truly, deeply respecting consumer privacy — not just giving it lip service or doing the minimum to meet regulations — represents a significant business opportunity to build trust, expand revenue streams and set the stage for global market… Show more

As companies scramble to prepare for the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), taking effect on Jan. 1, I’ve come to see that companies should not approach compliance as a chore. Rather, privacy must be considered a core feature of any consumer product. Truly, deeply respecting consumer privacy — not just giving it lip service or doing the minimum to meet regulations — represents a significant business opportunity to build trust, expand revenue streams and set the stage for global market success. Show less

Over the course of my career as a technology consultant, a product manager and now a tech CEO, I’ve always been enamored by the art of giving great software demos. I’ve also been lucky enough to learn from some truly amazing founders and colleagues, and I’ve managed to give a few successful demos of my own. Regardless of the type of product you’re pitching -- whether it’s something as sexy as the next Instagram or as practical as the next Docusign -- these keys to phenomenally effective demos… Show more

Over the course of my career as a technology consultant, a product manager and now a tech CEO, I’ve always been enamored by the art of giving great software demos. I’ve also been lucky enough to learn from some truly amazing founders and colleagues, and I’ve managed to give a few successful demos of my own. Regardless of the type of product you’re pitching -- whether it’s something as sexy as the next Instagram or as practical as the next Docusign -- these keys to phenomenally effective demos are universal and never change. Show less

Americans today have very little control over how they are represented online. Faceless algorithms make that decision about you — and if what shows up in your search results happens to be wrong or misleading, you’re the one who pays the price. But there’s something we can do about this growing problem: We can urge Congress to give Americans a “right to be forgotten” in online search engines. This right has been enjoyed by hundreds of millions in the European Union since 2014, but it remains… Show more

Americans today have very little control over how they are represented online. Faceless algorithms make that decision about you — and if what shows up in your search results happens to be wrong or misleading, you’re the one who pays the price. But there’s something we can do about this growing problem: We can urge Congress to give Americans a “right to be forgotten” in online search engines. This right has been enjoyed by hundreds of millions in the European Union since 2014, but it remains sorely lacking in America. Show less

I’m not dead yet.

But try telling that to Google.

For much of the last week, I have been trying to persuade the world’s most powerful search engine to remove my photo from biographical details that belong to someone else...

As hackers have increasingly turned their sights to executive personal information as a weapon to dupe, phish and impersonate their way into sensitive corporate systems, the protection of online privacy -- once considered to be purely a personal matter -- has moved firmly into the purview of enterprise cybersecurity groups.