Privacy

More than 28 million people in the United States have downloaded the mobile apps or activated exposure notifications on their smartphones. Critics say the technology has overemphasized privacy at the cost of usefulness.

Portland Metro, an elected planning body serving the greater Portland, Ore. region, is no longer working with movement data company Replica, due to disagreements around the level of data the company would share.

Ultimately, legislators are going to have to enact protections giving people far more control over whether and how personal information is used online, ideally by action at the federal level.

A class-action lawsuit against the company claimed that the social media giant violated privacy laws by storing biometric data, like facial scans, without getting user approval first.

A new measure would give Washington residents the ability to access, transfer, correct and delete data that Big Tech companies — such as Google and Facebook — compile and give them the right to opt out of targeted advertising.

With the backing of big technology companies like Amazon and Microsoft, the Washington Privacy Act could mean new rights for the consumer. But not everyone is convinced the bill has the teeth it needs to work.

The bipartisan proposal would require tech companies to obtain explicit permission to collect and sell personal data of citizens. The legislation is similar to proposals underway in other parts of the country.

Walmart will pay $10 million to some Illinois employees to settle allegations it used a palm scanning device that violated their privacy rights, a deal that could amount to a couple hundred dollars for each person.

A national digital privacy think tank said the Pasco, Fla., Sheriff’s Office and schools must immediately change a program that uses student data to ID potential future criminals to comply with federal law.

Nearly half of teachers who participated in a recent survey have received no training at all on student privacy, beyond simply signing a form, while some have also not been trained on video conference platforms.

Washington CIO Jim Weaver has chosen Ruckle, the privacy officer and information governance administrator for the Department of Social and Health Services. She starts in the new role Jan. 1.

The position is part of the city’s Privacy First Policy, which was enacted in September, and aims to help govern the use of data by government and private companies. The application deadline is Jan. 3.

As government collects more citizen data and cyberattacks increase in frequency, states are hiring chief privacy officers to keep all that data secure. Here’s a data-driven look at who’s doing the job and where.

Wilford Saunders Jr. has been tapped as Alben’s acting replacement. Saunders is a veteran of government IT work with many years of experience in the Washington State Department of Commerce.

Chief Privacy Officer, Seattle

GovTech's overview of which states, cities and counties have a chief privacy officer.

The former general counsel to the Department of Information Systems has returned, this time as the state's privacy czar.

Laura Negrón will head up the newly formed effort to protect publicly held data in New York City.