bio

My vision for life is to create positive and impactful experiences for people. At Google, this translates into working as a Privacy Program Manager and helping lead the Asian Google Network. Prior to this, I was working on building equity into performance management systems and doing user experience program management. Outside of work, I spend my time learning about issues affecting Asian communities and how they intersect with other groups of color. When I’m not catching up with friends over the newest restaurants, I try to dedicate my time toward non-technology related arts like crocheting and cooking.

Why did you get into cybersecurity?

When I was thinking about my career, I asked myself - at the end of the day, who do I want to impact with my work? The answer was, I wanted to help people like my immigrant mom. Technology has empowered her in ways she’s never dreamed of, but she’s also been protected by privacy teams she’s never thought of. Without people on the inside of a company thinking about the ever changing data collection, usage, and sharing landscape, we wouldn’t be able to innovate while keeping people safe. Not everyone is well versed in their security and privacy rights, and I wanted to be part of a space that made it more accessible. Privacy is the place where I get to empathize with stories like my mom’s to make people more in control of the most valuable commodity, their data.

What cybersecurity issue is monopolizing most of your time or are you most concerned about?

I’m most concerned about how people can no longer opt out of giving up their data. The narrative is often that individuals have the freedom to not participate in services, keeping their data to themselves. However, to be a participant in modern day society, not giving up your data can reduce your access to day to day resources. There’s this illusion of choice for whether or not you participate when in fact, there’s no alternative.

Erica's Cybersecurity Tip

Not so much a tip, but a way of thinking - one of the people I look up to in privacy said this to me: not giving people access to their data is a form of oppression.