In an effort to curtail ongoing issues with data breaches and Internet privacy, Attorney General George Jepsen has created and implemented the Internet Privacy Task Forces, which contains four different attorneys from Jepsen ’s office that have had some sort of expertise in the data privacy department.
What are the Internet Privacy Task Forces?
The issue of internet privacy and data breaches has become such a relevant problem, that Attorney General Jepsen was no longer able to handle it on his own.
“The need for this initiative is well demonstrated. Internet and data privacy have been among the biggest issues affecting the broad public interest during my first eight months in office,” Jepsen said.
The purpose of the Internet Privacy Task Forces is not only that of protection but also public education regarding data protection requirements. The task force has charged the public with having a level of responsibility in regards to protecting personal information and quickly notifying the correct people when a breach of some degree has happened.
“My office can, and should, serve as a resource for individuals and businesses seeking assistance in protecting their own information and that of their customers in a challenging and evolving technological environment,” Jepsen explained.
Why are they needed?
Thus far, Jepsen has had to deal with issues involving Facebook, Google, and several other cases that have dealt with everything from lost medical records to the illegal collection of individual information. Because people are using the internet more frequently and handing out personal information over the internet with more ease, it can only be expected that the rate of privacy breaches will continue to escalate unless we begin to approach online transactions with more caution.
“I think it’s more an issue that this is an unknown territory and a rapidly evolving and changing the technological environment. I don’t think anyone five years ago or ten years could have imagined how things have moved as quickly and as far in all these areas, whether it’s financial services or healthcare or general consumer issues,” Jepsen said in reference to the Internet privacy issues.
Hopefully his task force is able to decrease the number of privacy breaches with consumers; however, like he said there is also a level of personal responsibility. With a tool like the Internet growing as it does, we can’t only rely on others to fix problems that crop up; we have to help to prevent them as well by acting with vigilance and caution.
