Google’s privacy chief departs after 13 years, position to remain unfilled

Google’s Chief Privacy Officer, Keith Enright, Announces Departure After 13 Years

Google’s longtime privacy chief, Keith Enright, has announced his departure from the tech giant after a 13-year tenure. The news of his exit comes amid significant restructuring within Google’s privacy and compliance teams, and notably, the company has revealed it has no plans to appoint a direct successor to his role.

Enright officially took on the role of Chief Privacy Officer in September 2018 and has been guiding Google through an era of intense scrutiny over its data handling practices. His leadership came at a time when tech companies were increasingly under the microscope for their privacy policies, with Google frequently at the forefront of these debates.

“After over 13 years at Google, I’m ready for a change and will be moving on this fall, taking all that I’ve learned and trying something new,” Enright wrote in a post on LinkedIn.

According to Google, Enright’s departure is part of a broader reorganisation strategy. The company aims to distribute privacy and compliance responsibilities more widely across various product management teams rather than centralising them under a single office. This shift is intended to integrate privacy considerations more closely with product development processes.

The news of Enright’s departure also follows the departure of Matthew Bye, Google’s head of competition law, who is leaving after 15 years. These two big exits further highlight a period of significant transition within the company’s legal and compliance teams.

The broader restructuring at Google also includes recent layoffs and shifts in how the company handles privacy and legal compliance. Notably, several members of the legal investigations team, responsible for handling requests for user data from law enforcement and other legal entities, were reportedly let go. This move has further raised concerns amongst some employees about the company’s commitment to balancing legal compliance with user privacy.