NASCIO Perspective: The State and Local Cybersecurity Grant Program
The passage and signing into law of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (the Act) provided historic levels of funding to states, territories, tribes and localities to address pressing infrastructure needs. While “traditional” infrastructure priorities that include roads and bridges were a central focus of the bill, broadband expansion and cybersecurity concerns also garnered substantial…
NAAG Announces Formation of Center on Cyber and Technology
Washington, D.C. — The National Association of Attorneys General (NAAG) has established the Center on Cyber and Technology. The new Center is dedicated to developing programs and resources to support state attorneys general and their staffs in understanding technical aspects of emerging and evolving technologies, conducting cybercrime investigations and prosecutions, and ensuring secure and resilient…
Discussing Privacy Fallacies: Concluding Thoughts
Third in a Series Talking about privacy is like trying to hug an octopus. The concept covers a wide array of practices and technologies, including targeted advertising, surveillance, artificial intelligence and predictive analytics, biometrics and facial recognition, social media platforms and mobile apps, and online and geolocation tracking, to name just a few. Understanding all…
Discussing Privacy: More Fallacies, and Why Context Matters
Part 2 in an Ongoing Series Data is the oil of the modern economy. That analogy, although it has become a cliché, seems even more apt when you dig deeper. A century ago, we were building our economy around the suddenly ubiquitous flow of oil. We didn’t assign much weight to the externalities in our…
Privacy in the Information Age: Legislative and Policy Approaches
Last year, state attorneys general from around the country gathered in Vermont for the 2021 NAAG Eastern Region conference on The Surveillance Economy: How Attorneys General Protect Privacy, Safety, and Equality in the Information Age. During one panel, experts discussed innovative legislative and policy approaches to enhancing privacy in the digital age. State attorneys general…
Understanding Cybercrime, Computers and Cybersecurity
This webinar explains cybercrime, computers, networks, forensics, and cybersecurity in plain English. Attorneys and investigators who are hesitant to work on cybercrime or cybersecurity because of technological aspects, or who want a better grasp of these concepts, will gain a firm foundation on the basics. Participants will learn how common forms of cybercrime take advantage…
Cybercrime Investigations: A Comprehensive View from Two Former Prosecutors
Individuals and organizations in every state are at risk from constantly-evolving forms of cybercrime. Yet most cybercrimes go without criminal investigation or response. State attorneys general can play a critical role in increasing and improving our shared response to cybercrime. Statewide reach, as well as the ability to coordinate with local and national agencies, place…
Debunking the Privacy Fallacies
This is the first in a series of articles about privacy-related issues that may be of interest to state attorneys general. When I was in law school, “privacy law” wasn’t really discussed. Today, it seems like all anyone can talk about. That might be because I work on privacy and data security matters for the…
