CT Eyes Public Advocate To Protect Personal Privacy
A panel of Connecticut legislators last week recommended the creation of the Office of Public Advocate to protect the privacy of state residents.
The office would be responsible for ensuring the confidentiality of information routinely collected by state agencies, the General Assembly’s Program Review and Investigations Committee said in its report to both legislative chambers.
Amid indications that legislation creating the office could be introduced in one or both legislative chambers by late February, the panel cited a number of conflicts and loopholes among the state’s existing privacy laws, some of which were adopted earlier in the year. These discrepancies either have resulted in the unauthorized disclosure of personal information or created the possibility for that information being improperly disclosed.
The panel was co-chaired by Republican State Sen. Judith Freedman and Democrat Representative Jack Malone.
The report notes that most state agencies fail to tell people of their privacy rights when gathering information about them; how that information will be used, and whether it will be sold, rented, or otherwise provided to third parties without their knowledge or permission.
Besides creating an Office of Public Advocate, the report recommends an amendment to the state’s Personal Data Act that would require every state agency to issue written statements explaining both its legal authority for obtaining personal information and an individual’s rights to limit disclosure of that information to third parties.
The state’s Freedom of Information Commission and the state Council on Freedom of Information support the panel’s recommendations.
