Advocates’ Report Details Federal Efforts to ‘Expand’ State Data Access
The Trump administration has attempted to “dramatically expand” federal access to sensitive data traditionally held by state agencies, a group of consumer advocates said Monday in a privacy-related report.
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A report from the Center for Democracy & Technology, the Center for Civil Rights and Technology and Protect Democracy details state administrative data, which is information about recipients of various programs, such as Medicaid and Unemployment Insurance. Traditionally, states have held this data, offering the federal government limited access to it, the report said.
Now, however, the federal government wants to “expand access and data-handling activities at federal agencies.” In addition, the report discusses data practices at the Department of Government Efficiency.
The report focuses on data collected for public benefits programs like the Children’s Health Insurance Program, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children, the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program and unemployment insurance.
It highlights legal mechanisms federal agencies must comply with when requesting state data, including the Privacy Act, the Paperwork Reduction Act and the E-Government Act. The report recommends stakeholders pay attention to forthcoming internal and external documentation updates from federal agencies that could include changes to agency data practices.