NEWS ROOM | Press Releases
For immediate release: February 5, 2004
Contact: Beth Roszman
NASCIO Releases Information Privacy: A Spotlight on Key Issues
(Lexington, KY) - The National Association of State Chief Information Officers (NASCIO) has released Information Privacy: A Spotlight on Key Issues to serve as a resource for states developing privacy policies that protect citizen information and are compliant with federal and state legal requirements. This publication highlights key areas of privacy such as children's information, drivers' information, health information, financial information, educational information, social security numbers, homeland security related information, website privacy policies and government data matching activities and agreements. In addition, the publication includes state examples for many of these areas of information privacy. Attached is a copy of the publication. Complimentary copies are available to NASCIO members and available for purchase to non-members at http://www.nascio.org/publications/index.cfm.
"Information Privacy: A Spotlight on Key Issues reflects NASCIO's commitment to issues critical to the state IT community and the citizens they serve. This comprehensive publication provides a great tool for states in understanding this issue," said Missouri CIO and NASCIO President, Gerry Wethington.
The publication was produced by NASCIO's Privacy committee chaired by Washington State CIO Stuart McKee and vice chaired by Les Nakamura, Administrator, Information and Communication Services Division in the State of Hawaii. "Rapid advances in information technology have driven privacy to the forefront of the nation's public policy debate. As public sector IT professionals and stewards of private information, it is critical that we take every reasonable and practical measure necessary to protect citizen's privacy and foster trust in government. This publication marks out the new frontier of the privacy issue and offers a roadmap to effective public policy," said McKee.
In addition, Information Privacy: A Spotlight on Key Issues provides a broad overview of the widely accepted fair information principles that form the basis of many information privacy protection laws around the world. The publication has three appendices. The first appendix contains privacy-related definitions. The second provides an overview of recent privacy events at the federal level, organized by type of information, such as financial information, and type of federal entity, such as the Federal Trade Commission and the Department of Homeland Security. The third appendix provides a list of privacy-related organizations for the reader's general reference.
For more information about NASCIO's Privacy Committee, please see its webpage at: http://www.nascio.org/hotIssues/privacy/. The Privacy Committee has a previous publication, The Federal Privacy Law Compendium (2003), that summarizes ten federal privacy laws, including HIPAA and the Privacy Act of 1974. Please see the Privacy Committee's webpage for more information about that publication.
NASCIO represents the state chief information officers from the 50 states, six U.S. territories and the District of Columbia. Members include cabinet and senior level state officials responsible for information resource management. Other IT officials participate as associate members and private sector representatives may become corporate members.
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For more information contact NASCIO Programs and Communications Coordinator Beth Roszman at (859) 514-9167 or NASCIO Issues Coordinator Mary Gay Whitmer at (859) 514-9209.
Association Management Resources, Inc. (AMR) provides NASCIO's executive staff. For more information about AMR visit www.amrinc.net/.
