Tag: Privacy Program

Meet City of Seattle’s new Chief Privacy Officer (CPO): Susan Goodman

Susan Goodman

Susan Goodman knows a lot about data and information – how to collect, maintain, manage and dispose of data, carefully. She also knows about the delicate balance between transparent government and protecting its citizen’s Privacy.

Susan brings impressive credentials to Seattle. She has a Master’s Degree and is a Certified Information Privacy Professional with extensive experience – in the US and globally – in both the public and private sectors, in-house and as a consultant. From the City and County of Albany, NY, to NY State Govt., the Public Utilities Board of Brownsville, Texas, the Town of Wethersfield, CT, Consumer Reports, Bank of America, Citigroup and others – she developed, led and enhanced Records Management and Privacy programs. Susan was also an adjunct professor of Records Administration at Wayne State University. She speaks at conferences and contributes to technical publications to advance Privacy and Information Governance.

Under the leadership of Mayor Murray, in November 2014 the City launched its Privacy Initiative, led by the Seattle Police Department and Department of Information Technology. The initiative defined how the City collects, uses, and disposes of data in a manner that balances the needs of the City to conduct its business with individual privacy. Seattle is one of the first cities in the nation to establish its own privacy principles to protect personal information. City partners and vendors are instructed to follow the same guidelines. As Seattle’s Chief Privacy Officer, Susan looks forward to collaborating with all City departments, the Community Technology Advisory Board, the Council, Seattle’s advocacy committee and others to continue to build and to lead a cutting edge Privacy program and to earn the public’s trust in how the City collects and uses data.

“I was very impressed with the City of Seattle and Seattle IT and how forward thinking it is” she said.  “Protecting the private information of Seattle residents, and gaining public trust, is critical to enabling the City of Seattle to provide its residents with valuable, advanced technologies and services.”

Susan’s husband Alan is a retired Social Service Executive Director who directed the Red Cross September 11th Recovery Program, working closely with FEMA and other emergency services in the wake of the disaster. Susan began her role with the City of Seattle on May 2.  Welcome to Seattle, Susan!

For more information on the City’s Privacy Initiative, visit http://www.seattle.gov/privacy.

Seattle Is Rolling Out It’s Innovative Privacy Program

The City of Seattle continues to lead the nation in protecting citizens’ privacy.  Last fall, the Mayor and City Council launched the City’s new Privacy Initiative.  In February 2015, Seattle’s Privacy Principle’s were announced.

The next phase, the toolkit for Seattle’s Privacy Initiative, is now being implemented.  The toolkit will guide City departments on how to incorporate these principles into daily operations.

“Seattle is leading the nation to implement a comprehensive privacy program across all City departments,” said Seattle Mayor Ed Murray. “Our privacy principles are designed to protect individual privacy while still providing government transparency.”

The Privacy Toolkit will provide guidelines for how each department will implement a privacy assessment. Departments will also identify a privacy champion who will work with a privacy manager at the Department of Information Technology.

“This is a game changer in how we operate and do business to ensure we uphold the highest standard for your privacy,” said Councilmember Bruce Harrell, chair of the Council’s Public Safety, Civil Rights, and Technology Committee. “We have come up with the right balance of transparency, accountability and flexibility.”

The privacy principles and the toolkit were created by an interdepartmental team comprised of more than 10 departments and an external Privacy Advisory Committee comprised of community members and privacy experts from private industry, law firms, privacy advocates and academia. The mayor’s budget for 2016 includes funding for a Chief Privacy Officer for the City who will be charged with implementing the principles.

“This is the first time any city in the country has taken steps to protect the public’s private information whenever possible,” said Councilmember Mike O’Brien. “This groundbreaking toolkit will help city employees think proactively about potential privacy implications with regards to any data or personal information we collect in the course of regular City business or when evaluating a new policy or program,”

In November 2014, the City launched its Privacy Initiative, led by the Seattle Police Department and Department of Information Technology. The initiative defined how the City collects, uses, and disposes of data in a manner that balances the needs of the City to conduct its business with individual privacy. For more information on the City’s Privacy Initiative, visit http://www.seattle.gov/information-technology/initiatives/privacy-initiative

Seattle is one of the first cities in the nation to establish its own privacy principles to protect personal information. City partners and vendors are instructed to follow the same guidelines.