Why does the federal government need expanded access to TANF data?

A coalition of advocacy and privacy groups this month filed a lawsuit challenging the Trump administration’s effort to expand federal access to sensitive data collected through the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program. Representatives from two groups involved with the lawsuit told the Priorities Podcast that the recent move violates federal privacy law. John Davisson, a deputy director at the Electronic Privacy Information Center, and Theo Oshiro, co-executive director of Make the Road States, said the new policy could put families’ personal information in the hands of immigration enforcement and introduce unneeded cybersecurity risks.

Top stories this week:

Months of backlash across social media and public forums over law enforcement’s use and misuse of automated license plate readers — particularly Flock Safety’s cameras and data-sharing network — have prompted scrutiny of how the technology is deployed and governed, forcing changes from industry. Flock has announced a series of changes to its policies, but the company says the most substantive changes must come from law enforcement and policymakers.

The Administration for Children and Families is awarding $6 million to 10 child welfare jurisdictions to pilot predictive analytics tools designed to help caseworkers make faster, better informed decisions about children and families. The awards build on ACF’s broader “A Home for Every Child” initiative, which seeks to improve the ratio of foster homes to children.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom has announced a new initiative that would create AI cybersecurity officer roles within each state agency. The governor also directed all California agencies to establish an AI cyber defense program, which will use AI for the purposes of vulnerability detection, network hardening and incident response.

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