Washington Privacy Act Overwhelmingly Passed by State Senate
Apr 19, 19
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Washington Privacy Act Overwhelmingly Passed by State Senate
A privacy bill designed to restrict the use of facial recognition technology and provide information to consumers on how their data is being collected passed the Washington State Senate Wednesday.
The bill passed by an overwhelming 46-1 margin, and enacts European consumer-data privacy protections.
Under SB-5376, consumers would be able to ask that companies delete pieces of data that companies like Facebook and Microsoft possess on them, and can even ask large companies to correct data that isn’t accurate.
Additionally, it would make it so state and local governments would not be permitted to use facial recognition for ongoing surveillance, with the only exception being a court order or emergency situation.
Companies using facial recognition technology would also be required to get consumer consent.
“This bill carefully, responsibly takes the best practices from Europe, California and other states to build a data privacy regulatory framework that will help set a standard and lead the nation in bringing our data privacy laws into the 21st century,” said Sen. Reuven Carlyle, the bill’s primary sponsor.
On the Senate floor promoting the measure, Carlyle likened the future under the bill to a credit report, “where you can check in and understand who’s been accessing it, and why, and to make corrections.”
It will next make its way to the floor of the House, and if passed, would cross Gov. Jay Inslee’s desk to be signed into law.
WSIPC takes the following measures to protect the privacy of students and staff:
Data Ownership – WSIPC never discloses or shares student level data, to any party outside of state or federal entities, without the approval of the district.
Data Security – Security assessments are conducted on WSIPC systems annually, by independent companies. The results of the assessments are used to ensure that our system security is continually updated to meet the ever-growing threat of cyber security attacks.
Security Awareness – WSIPC participates with the following resources, among others, to stay informed and engaged:
Student Data Privacy Consortium (SDPC) – a national alliance of states, districts, vendors and policy makers. WSIPC has been part of this organization since its inception.
Future of Privacy Forum (FPF) – a nonprofit organization that serves as a catalyst for advancing principled data practices and fostering privacy leadership and scholarship.
Student data privacy is a top concern for WSIPC, and we will continue to do our utmost to ensure that your data is protected.
To learn about WSIPC’s security policies and practices, see our Data Privacy page on our website, or contact us at info@wsipc.org or 425.349.6600.
WSIPC is a non-profit cooperative that provides technology solutions (including Skyward), services, and support to K-12 schools. WSIPC’s purpose is to help schools do more with every dollar and to empower them with the tools to work smarter. To learn how your district can become a part of the WSIPC Cooperative, contact us at info@wsipc.orgor 425.349.6600.
