Episode 188 — Privacy and the Big Apple: Cities and Chief Privacy Officers/CPOs

Data Privacy Detective

Join New York City’s Chief Privacy Officer, Mike Fitzpatrick. Explore the role of a city’s CPO. Cities must balance the interests of personal privacy and municipal operations, while complying with open records and other federal and state laws. Municipalities collect, use, and share vast databases of personally identifiable information (PII). They use PII to deter crime, advance public safety, and serve public health and other needs. Like everyone, cities can be cyber attack targets and victims of data breaches. Consider how one city’s CPO promotes a culture that embraces and protects personal privacy while preserving the essential missions of municipal government and decreasing cyber risks.

Hear the current challenges facing a city’s CPO. Learn how a CPO can advance responsible data sharing, create a culture of privacy protection, and help a municipal government instill responsible, equitable data practices across its agencies. Check out the Big Apple’s Citywide Privacy Protection Policies and Protocols, issued in February 2023. https://www.nyc.gov/assets/oti/downloads/pdf/citywide-privacy-protection-policies-protocols.pd, and watch for an upcoming update in early 2025.

This episode is also available in a five-minute video version on YouTube: https://youtu.be/EI7bSOYwqXI

Time stamps:1:13 — What does a Chief Privacy Officer do?4:00 — What challenges does a Chief Privacy Officer of a big city face?7:17 — How does a CPO handle equity in data management?10:34 — Are more cities in addition to New York appointing Chief Privacy Officers? 12:43 — How does a CPO measure success?14:22 — What tips does Mike have for other cities as they evaluate their data policies?

The first 155 episodes of Data Privacy Detective can be found on the feed of the Frost Brown Todd Podcast. You can listen on Apple Podcasts (https://apple.co/3IrHUTg), Spotify (https://bit.ly/49XRU2k), or Soundcloud (https://bit.ly/3T8EWrw).

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