Privacy Expert Applauds

Llodra’s Position

To the Editor:

In regard to your article in last week’s paper, “Llodra Hopes To Appeal To FOIC About Protecting Website Identities,” I want to say that our first selectman’s stance is absolutely right and should be applauded.

I am a information privacy and security professional, I have been responsible for business and regulatory controls, and a consultant to some of the biggest companies in the country. I am a Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA) as well as Certified in Risk and Information Systems Controls (CRISC). My daily work involves enforcing the Electronic Communications Privacy Act, the Gramm-Leach-Blily Act, Computer Security Act, the Privacy Act (USC 552a), Fair Information Practices Statue, and many others. I bring this up to help establish my credentials in supporting Mrs Llodra’s position and in stating that our Police Commissioner Bruce Walczak is in violation of several federal laws in requesting the names, addresses, phone numbers and e-mails of residents who signed up to receive announcements, emergency notification, and event cancellations from the town’s new website.

Additionally, just by making such a request/demand, Mr Walczak is actually being detrimental to public safety. Americans, indeed citizens worldwide, value their privacy. If town residents are worried that information they provide to the town — of which their privacy is assumed to be protected — might not sign up out of concern that their information will not be kept private. The police commissioner’s actions here in alienating the community reduces the ability of the town to help the community through the website and emergency notification system.

Kudos therefore to Mrs Llodra and we should all support her in petitioning the FOIC for their support in protecting the privacy of our town’s residents. Hopefully the FOIC will do the right thing. If for some reason they don’t, I again state that the police commissioner’s “request” is in violation of rights granted to all Americans by the federal government.

Sincerely,

Robert Rabinowitz

30 Alpine Circle, Sandy Hook                                      October 2, 2011