Digital Privacy Study Summary and Consensus Meeting

The Digital Privacy Study Group submitted its consensus questions to the board, and they have been approved. All League members are invited to participate in the online consensus meeting at 7 p.m. on Monday, January 4. We will send out Zoom information in the week prior to the meeting.

The Digital Privacy study group of the Los Alamos League of Women Voters held a series of meetings to look at how digital services and platforms used by Los Alamos County can potentially impact the digital privacy of county residents.

As communications and services move further into the digital realm, our individual privacy is increasingly vulnerable to third-party developers, many of whom collect, leverage, or sell user data in order to reduce costs and make their platforms more attractive. In some situations, such as a mailing list from an alumni group, the risk of contributing to one’s digital footprint is a well-informed and conscious choice by the consumer. In the context of a relationship with the government, however, the element of choice is not always clear or even available. When mailing lists, social media, mobile applications, and other types of digital technology used by the local authorities do not include appropriate security measures and transparency, citizens using these platforms may unwittingly be exposing their private data.

The study group used general readings about technical aspects of digital privacy to inform inquiries into the vulnerabilities in specific software packages, apps, or platforms that a citizen might encounter when interacting with the County. Wherever possible, we conducted our own investigations by using publicly available developer tools, reading privacy agreements, checking the availability of permission settings, and researching company reputations. The group also spoke with John Roig, the Chief Information Officer of Los Alamos County, about the acquisition process and criteria used by the County when choosing software or contracting for digital services such as website development.

Findings:

• Los Alamos County does not consider citizen privacy when contracting with or purchasing digital platforms.

• Digital platforms such as the County website, mailing list software, social media and mobile apps used by the County are capable of tracking users and collecting user (citizen) data.

• While most of these platforms have links to privacy and user agreements, none are clearly identified as third-party, and the risks to individual privacy are not disclosed.

• Some of these services are not available by alternative means (e.g.,County Line newsletter, Code Red emergency notification system, certain Facebook groups).

Consensus questions

1. Do you believe your relationship with the local government is different from your relationship with a business or other organization that you might choose to patronize or join? Are your expectations of privacy in the relationship different? Explain.

2. Is concern for your privacy a factor in determining whether you sign up for services or feedback platforms provided by the County? Why or why not?

   1. Would you prefer that the County inform you if the service they are using will be tracking you, and in what ways? Is a link to a privacy agreement enough?

   2. Would you prefer the County use a digital platform that does not track personal information even if it is more expensive?

   3. Should citizen privacy be a factor when the County chooses software or digital services?

3. Do you have a privacy threshold beyond which you would no longer be willing to interact with the County?

   1. Should residents be expected to participate in social media (Facebook, Twitter, etc.) in order to receive County announcements?

   2. If the County conducted a survey that, in the background, collected and sold demographic information about you, how strongly would you have to feel about the survey topic in order to participate?

   3. How would you react if your attendance at a Council meeting generated advertising in your mailbox or robocalls to your home?

JoAnn Lysne and Akkana Peck