Blogger: Kevin Kampman
For those of you wondering about the turnout of the Joe the Plumber scandal in Ohio, here’s an update:
Helen Jones-Kelley, the Director of the Department of Jobs and Family Services, has resigned. She had previously been suspended without pay after Ohio’s Inspector General determined that she authorized improper searches of personal information in State databases. She expressed concerns about damages to her professional reputation as well as threats that had been directed at her.
Previous to her resignation, the State House of Representatives and Senate approved legislation to protect confidential personal information. Among other things, HB 648 introduces regulations to govern and monitor access, requires notification of misuse, provides penalties, and assigns liability for inappropriate disclosure of the information. The bill is on its way to Ohio Governor Ted Strickland, who has not commented on whether he will approve it.
What is significant about the legislation is that it mandates specific responsibilities and controls over the State’s information systems. For example, State agencies will need to have privacy points of contact to assess and report on information under the agency’s control, reporting to a State privacy officer. Private information will need to be protected by appropriate access controls; accesses must be monitored and recorded.
No one who has worked in the identity management area for any length of time will be surprised by the measures outlined in this piece of legislation. Much of what it contains are good industry practices: practices that may now be enforced in Ohio as a point of law. The real message here, particularly to the former Director and anyone with similar bad judgment, is that when you request certain kinds of information, you may get more than what you bargained for.
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