December 2023 Privacy Points

Season’s Greetings!

As we wrap-up another dynamic year in privacy, I have included this year’s top watched privacy webinars by most views! Reviewing our work from 2023, it is amazing to think about all we have accomplished as a state to learn and mature in privacy. It should be no surprise that two of the three top watched webinars are on artificial intelligence. I predict that this will remain a hot topic for our state in 2024 and privacy is a critical part of the conversation.

If you missed any of our webinars this past year – check them out! · AGO Data Breach Report · Privacy Webinar: Artificial Intelligence · AI Impacts on Privacy · Privacy Threshold Analysis · Health Data Privacy · Facial Recognition - The good, the bad, and the regulated · Family Education Rights Privacy Act (FERPA) · Privacy & Geographic Information Systems (GIS)

Legislative Session

Speaking of AI, the state Chief Technology Officer (Nick Stowe) and I were invited to present at the Environment, Energy, and Technology Committee earlier this month. We talked about the work of the AI Community of Practice and its guidelines on generative AI use in Washington. There were also several interesting presentations from industry, academia, and advocacy organizations. You can find the recording on tvw.org.

There are also several interesting bills already being filed in preparation for the short session. Of particular interest for AI is Senate Bill 5838 and its companion House Bill 1934 which establishes an artificial intelligence task force in the state of Washington. This bill is by request of the state Office of the Attorney General. In addition, House Bill 1951 is promoting ethical AI by protecting against algorithmic discrimination. This bill requires impact assessment on automated decision tools.

Privacy Week!

Next month we will be celebrating Privacy Week from January 22 to January 26! This year we plan to focus on raising awareness about children’s privacy issues. Watch for more information about upcoming webinars and activities in the new year!

Take care and happy holidays!