Public servants, data brokers and political violence

“People should not be forced to choose between serving their community and protecting their family,” Justin Sherman, interim vice president of the Public Service Alliance, told the Priorities Podcast. States’ data privacy laws are typically focused on protecting the public, but offer little to protect public servants, he said. “There are a growing number of cases where … individuals who want to harm a public servant, send them a death threat, show up to their kid’s school, try and kill them at work or something else, are using personal data to do so.” An analysis by his group found that data privacy laws fail in numerous ways, particularly by not requiring data brokers to redact sensitive personal information of government employees. Sherman argued that it’s possible to retain democratic transparency and also protect information like residential addresses or personal phone numbers.

This week’s top stories:

In a report published last week, the Minnesota Technology Advisory Council recommended that the state begin preparing for the emergence of quantum computing, which could pose new security risks to the state’s sensitive data. The annual report notes that quantum computing “introduces a new class of risk to traditional encryption methods that protect the state’s most sensitive financial and health data.”

A Romanian national this month pleaded guilty to selling credentials for a network operated by the Oregon Department of Emergency Management. The initial access broker, who went by the online handle inthematrix1, pleaded guilty to one count of obtaining information from a protected computer and one count of aggravated identity theft. He’s expected to be deported.

As the United States prepares to host part of the 2026 FIFA World Cup this summer, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul this month announced that the state will receive $17.2 million in federal funding to combat illegal or unsafe drone flights. In June and July, the event’s matches will be played in Canada, Mexico and in 11 U.S. cities.

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