(Chief Privacy Officer) An individual who manages the privacy issues within an organization. Arising out of the privacy regulations in finance and health care in the late 1990s, the CPO position eventually crossed over to all industries. The CPO, typically an attorney, is involved with setting privacy policy which determines how much information should be collected and how much can be shared both inside and outside of the company. An organization's privacy policy is often stated on its Web site. See privacy and P3P.