CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) - Wyoming’s chief information officer is helping state agencies, counties, cities and towns go through citizens’ data collected over the years to find information that is no longer necessary as part of a drive by the state legislature to help protect personal information.
Flint Waters, the state’s chief information officer, said one of the first tasks is to find out what information agencies are keeping. He also wants to know why the information was collected and whether it is still needed.
“Before we can have a meaningful conversation about citizen privacy, we need to have a conversation about what data (state agencies) already hold,” Waters said.
Some agencies may have collected the information and kept it, even though the information is no longer needed, Waters said.
Rep. Mary Throne, D-Cheyenne, said agencies also may be collecting more information than they need.
Waters and his department plan to meet with officials from other cities, counties and towns across the state to help them develop their own policies. “You’ve got towns out there with two staff, and they do everything on one laptop. They don’t need 15 pages of policy,” he said.
Waters plans to present a report to the Legislature by Sept. 1, describing what cities, towns and counties are already doing. He will also suggest steps they could take that won’t hurt their budgets.
Throne said no municipality is required to adopt any specific policy as a result of the new state requirements. Lawmakers may find other issues they need to address, she said.
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Information from: Wyoming Tribune Eagle, https://www.wyomingnews.com
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