Welcome to winter!
The Office of Privacy and Data Protection (OPDP) would like to announce an incredible addition and a familiar face to our team! Zack Hudgins, who represented the 11th Legislative District in the state House of Representatives for 18 years, is now working for OPDP as a privacy manager.
Zack brings deep legislative experience doing outreach with local governments to the office. He has been involved at the nexus of IT and public policy for many years. He recently served on both the Technology Services Board, and the Legislative Services Committee which oversee and guide Executive Branch and Legislative Branch IT policy. His interests include open data, cybersecurity, successful project management and privacy. Please join us in welcoming Zack!
2021 Local Government Privacy Assessment Survey
The state Office of Privacy and Data Protection is asking local governments to fill out our voluntary privacy assessment survey to help us measure privacy maturity and needs across different levels of local jurisdictions. The responses will be used to help develop resources and trainings where they are most needed. The goal is to establish a common understanding of current practices, not to measure compliance with specific laws or a specific set of standards. Thanks in advance for your help and participation in this important process!
Please feel free to send any questions to privacy@ocio.wa.gov.
Data Privacy Day Event:
Our Data Privacy Day webinar was a resounding success. We want to thank the American Civil Liberties Union and The Future of Privacy Forum for their stellar presentations on the important topic of privacy and equity which included a history of technology and surveillance in the U.S. and current trends in law and technology regarding privacy.
There is also a brief update on COVID-19 related bills under consideration this session in the Washington legislature. The virtual event received rave reviews so we encourage all to enjoy the recorded presentation!
Legislative Session:
Our office continues to track several bills impacting privacy including legislation regarding COVID-19 health data, and many new proposed exemptions to the Public Records Act Most recently, our office has been involved with Senate Bill 5432 concerning cybersecurity and data sharing in Washington state government.
News items that caught OPDP's attention this month include:
- License plate readers are being used to create a "virtual gate" in one California city
- Not everyone trusts Apple's new privacy labels
- The acting FTC chairwoman is interested in strong relief for privacy violations, and the intersection competition and privacy
- States Push Internet Privacy Rules in Lieu of Federal Standards - WSJ
- Information on the Accellion data breach.
See you next month with more updates from our office!
Katy Ruckle
State Chief Privacy Officer