"Speaking on a panel on the topic hosted by the Microsoft Innovation & Policy Center in Washington, D.C., Ryan Calo, assistant professor of the University of Washington School of Law, said there was “an opportunity” to strengthen the security of the data governments manage.
“I think that governments of all kinds, local and federal, can improve the overall ecosystem on privacy and security,” he said during the panel.
Calo referenced a paper he co-authored and released earlier this year that evaluated Seattle’s open data practices. The city was ahead of the curve when it came to data, but the vendors it used to gather data — on anything from 911 calls to parking violations — each faced different security requirements, he told FedScoop.
“It wasn’t that we found too many smoking guns exactly,” he said of the report. “It was rather that it was all over the place. Some vendors would make no guarantees about security.” Others had to have cryptology in place and agreed to notify the city in case of a breach."