Obama to establish new privacy office

The Obama administration has announced plans to establish a new privacy office dedicated to making privacy a comprehensive, strategic and continuous function of government in the US.

The new office will be established within the US Office of Information and Regulator Affairs (OIRA) at the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). It will be overseen by a new dedicated senior official.

Functions of the new office will include leading efforts to develop and implement consistent federal privacy policies, strategies and practices across agencies, and collaborating with the Federal Privacy Council to identify government-wide privacy trends and issues that require whole-of-government intervention.

In addition, the office will oversee and evaluate agency regulatory and policy initiatives, as well as privacy and information collection policies.

“The steps we are taking today demonstrate the Administration’s commitment to striving for the highest standards of privacy and maintaining the trust of the American people,” OMB Director Shaun Donovan said in a blog post announcing the new office.

“They also complement our work to keep the Federal Government at the leading edge of 21st century innovation. And while the role and responsibilities of the new office may evolve to keep pace with ever-changing technologies and advancements in information analytics, the new office — and the career position created to lead it — are here to stay not just in the months ahead, but for years to come.”

Image courtesy of jason goulding under CC