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Protecting Privacy in New Jersey: Consistency Is Key

New Jersey Chief Data and Privacy Officer Carrie Parikh explains how she’s working to standardize protocols for keeping citizen data safe across the state enterprise while also incorporating emerging tech.

New Jersey Chief Data and Privacy Officer Carrie Parikh
Eyragon Eidam/Government Technology
Incorporating emerging technologies while maintaining security is a balancing act that state and local IT leaders across the country grapple with every day. The increasing prevalence of the chief privacy officer is proof that protecting citizen data is something the public sector is taking very seriously. 

In New Jersey, Carrie Parikh serves as not only the chief data and privacy officer, but also as chief operating officer for the state’s Office of Information Technology. At the National Association of State Chief Information Officers (NASCIO) Midyear conference last week, Parikh explained how those two roles go hand in hand, and also how she works to maintain consistency across state systems for both legacy and new technologies. 

“One of the things we talk about in the privacy world is privacy by design,” Parikh said, “so I get to see all the places where we’re lacking privacy protocols, where we’ve already built out some pretty incredible opportunities with respect to the privacy program, and where to go next.”

Lauren Kinkade is the managing editor for Government Technology magazine. She has a degree in English from the University of California, Berkeley, and more than 15 years’ experience in book and magazine publishing.