Why New York City is updating its privacy policy

On the Priorities podcast, New York City Chief Privacy Officer Micahel Fitzpatrick says a new privacy policy will further how the city’s privacy and cybersecurity offices work together.

The new policy comes about a year after Mayor Eric Adams consolidated IT operations that had been scattered across city government into a single new agency. Before the consolidation, three separate agencies dealt with cybersecurity, privacy and information technology.

“The theory of that [consolidation] was that in the prior state of affairs in new York City related to technology matters you had offices with different reporting structures, often creating administrative barriers that didn’t allow for the kinds of collaboration that really are necessary,” Fitpzatrick tells StateScoop’s Keely Quinlan. “[Now] we’re driving that conversation and that collaboration at the agency level.”

The collaborative efforts extend beyond the five boroughs, and out into the larger government privacy community, Fitzpatrick says. He says regularly talks with New York State’s privacy officer, Michele Jones, and is building relationships in cities across the U.S., as well as internationally.

In the news this week:

Code for America will cut off financial and operational support for its network of local volunteer groups. The move will leave some 60 brigades needing to chart paths to financial independence. The decision comes as a result of declines in funding and volunteerism after the pandemic.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbot this week issued formal instructions for state agencies to enforce the TikTok ban he signed last December. Under the guidance, developed by the Texas departments of Public Safety and Information Resources, agencies agencies must “identify, track and control” state-owned devices in order to prohibit access to TikTok and a list of other Chinese-made tech products.

California has a new director of its Data and Innovation Office. Nolwenn Godard, the product director at the financial technology company SoFi, will take over the office, which was created out of a merger last year of the state’s data analytics and digital innovation offices.

If you want to hear more of the latest across the state and local government technology community, subscribe to the Priorities Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Soundcloud, Spotify and Stitcher.