What New Data Privacy Laws Mean for the Public Sector
Source: GovTech by Katya Maruri
Last week, industry experts discussed the current data privacy landscape, focusing on the issues surrounding identity data, privacy and transparency, as well as the challenges they pose to government of all sizes.
In the last few years, state lawmakers have ramped up their focus on data privacy legislation aimed at creating safer and more secure online experiences. But what impact could these efforts have on the public sector and how can government agencies best prepare?
Paul Hopingardner, CIO of Travis County, Texas, and Bryan Langley, senior fellow for the Center of Digital Government* and former senior vice president of defense development of Indiana Economic Development Corp., answered these questions last week during a webinar hosted by Government Technology.
Typically, legislation in this space aims to protect sensitive information about individuals, including employees or constituents, explained event moderator Deb Snyder, a senior fellow for the Center of Digital Government and the former CISO for the state of New York.
One of the most important things to understand, Hopingardner explained, is that the size of government can significantly impact how it looks at and responds to an issue like data privacy.
For example, larger organizations tend to recognize risk management, privacy and other similar concepts, he said. Smaller organizations, however, sometimes struggle with applying those concepts — particularly in states where there may not be laws addressing them.