Category Archives: data privacy

INTERIM Lege Trend: State Data Collection Bills. 5 Bits of Informed Intel.

The Virginia legislature is considering the Government Data Collection and Dissemination Practices Act which would:

  • prohibit the state from secretly collecting data
  • prohibit data collection “without a clear need for its collection”
  • prohibit data collection by “fraudulent or unfair means”
  •  targets of data collection would be notified about the purpose of the information gathering and would be given the opportunity to amend, correct and erase “inaccurate, obsolete or irrelevant…

INTERIM Lege Trend: Protect Student Data Leading the Pack in the North. 3 Bits of Informed Intel.

Minnesota wants to do a better job protecting student data privacy. Here’s what the land of 10,000 lakes is proposing in its House Bill 2386:

  • prohibit schools from forcing students to supply their access information to personal social media accounts
  • prohibit school employees from forcing students to alter the settings of their accounts to make information visible to the public
  • opens violating schools up for legal action on the part of the affected student

Governing | 7 Tech Policy…

January 28th: Data Privacy Day. 10 Data Security Trends for 2016.

  • Fitbits will get hacked.
  • The E.U. and U.S. fight on datat security will continue
  • Businesses should have data security policy & do risk assessments
  • Data Security will be guided by industry specific standards 
  • Telephone Consumer Protection Act will be a new source of data security lawsuits
  • Company issued electronic devices vs. personal electronic devices means more now that we’re in the age of data security
  • Curate and protect your social media like you do your health data from your…

INTERIM Lege Trend: Creating a Privacy and Consumer Protection Committee

California Assembly has a new committee to handle privacy and technology issues. What’s the committee jurisdiction?

  • drones
  • data security & breaches including in health care
  • Smart cities that use technologies to communicate with residents
  • security of networks
  • oversight of state computer data security

The Recorder | Calif. Lawmaker Forecasts Busy Year in Privacy

INTERIM. Home of the Ducks is now Home of Data Security. 5 Bits of Informed Intel from a new Data Security State Law.

  • data breach defined in new Orgegon law as:
    • “an unauthorized acquisition of computerized data that materially compromises the security, confidentiality or integrity of personal information that a person maintains.”
  • personal information that triggers the notification statute
    • ​Social Security number;
    • Driver license number or state identification card number issued by the Department of Transportation;
    • Passport number or other United States issued identification number;…

Library Data. Do Cities Protect it? Do Universities? 3 Points from the Pro-Delete User Records Side.

  • The City University of new York began purging data because it believes libraries should only keep information users want
  • American Library Association doesn’t believe you are what you read and opposes law enforcement use of library records.
  • The  Library Freedom Project supports protecting web searches on public computers, encouraging libraries to operte exit nodes and Tor, a difficult to trace web browser

The Guardian | You are not what you read: librarians purge user data to protect…

Data Security Meets Sharing Economy Meets Regulatory Enforcement Powers

Which state has an agency enforcement action against the sharing economy? New York’s Attorney General

Which part of the sharing economy is the NY Attorney General looking into? Ride Share

What’s the issue? Buzzfeed reported that company execuitves had access to rider locations through the ride share app

Let’s get to know what could happen in Texas, and look at what enforcement deal was worked out in NY. The settlement included:

  • a 20K fine
  • requiring ride share entity to adopt a data…

INTERIM. State Creates Office of Data Privacy and Protection

What State created an Office of Data Privacy and Protection? Washington

Did it do it by legislative action? No. It was created by Executive Action.

2 Reasons Why Washington State Created this new Data Office:

  • Washington is the “world’s center for digital commerce.”
    • That’s sure to make Texans happy.
  • “good cybersecurity is essential to the continuity of global commerce and to a thriving economy”

3 Powers the new Office of Data will have:

  • Train state agencies on best privacy…

Lege Trend | Tuck Data Security Bill into Spending Bill

Change general law in a spending bill? No, say it isn’t so. Yes, it is so. 

Congress is adding data security language to is spending authorization bill. Here are the highlights that have privacy advocaes on the right and left up in arms:

  • The government already spies on its citizens too much
  • Going light on businesses that share more information about data breaches with the government and other businesses isn’t helping privacy
  • Protecting from disclosure under the Freedom of Information…

$45 Million in Cyber Security Research Grants to Universities. Any Universities in Texas?

Who is funding cybersecurity grants? The Hewlett Foundation Cybersecurity Initiative

How much in grant fudning is available? Started at $20 Million. It’s at $45 Million now.

The lucky recipients are? University of California at Berkeley, Stanford & MIT

Any Texas recipients? No. As Hewlett chief alludes, more private interests need to support research about how cyber security should look in the future. Specifically:

  • develop a comprehensive conceptual framework for…