Data and privacy protection - there's much that government, industry and consumers alike can do to improve information security. And the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is at the heart of education and enforcement efforts.

In an exclusive interview, the FTC's Joel Winston discusses:

Winston is Associate Director of the Division of Privacy and Identity Protection of the Federal Trade Commission's Bureau of Consumer Protection.

That Division has responsibility over consumer privacy and data security issues, identity theft and credit reporting matters, among other things.

Mr. Winston serves on the federal government's Identity Theft Task Force, which was created by President Bush in March 2006. He also is a member of the Advisory Board for the BNA Privacy & Security Law Reporter, and served on the Editorial Board and as an author for a treatise published in 2009 by the American Bar Association, "Consumer Protection Law Developments." In 2008, Mr. Winston received the Presidential Rank Award of Meritorious Executive, one of the highest honors given to members of the federal government's Senior Executive Service.