Monterey County’s Board of Supervisors voted unanimously on Tuesday to approve a plan to strengthen data and artificial intelligence governance rules, furthering progress toward improvements in county-level data security.
On June 15, County Supervisor Wendy Root Askew submitted a request to information technology department to write a plan that would improve the county’s data security policies due to the county’s reliance on third-party software vendors to deliver public services. For Askew, it was important for the county to review its current policies for potential vulnerabilities, especially in the age of rapid AI development.
“I think as, as information moves faster and with the AI technology available, there’s growing concerns among folks that we are talking to every day that the county holds a tremendous amount of data that we’re responsible for safeguarding,” said Askew during Tuesday’s meeting. “We want to make sure that we can provide those assurances back to the public that we are doing everything in our power to make sure that data remains used only as appropriate and is secure.”
During a presentation at the Board of Supervisors meeting, Eric Chatham, the county’s chief information officer, outlined the information technology department’s approach, first by reviewing the current rules and safeguards to make recommendations for improvements, then establishing a cross-county standard, all of which saw support from the board.
Askew’s referral also noted that any new rules should not inhibit innovation or prevent the county from utilizing certain technology, but rather that it ensures that the county needs to “maintain clear standards, appropriate oversight, and strong safeguards”.
In a detailed 17-page outline, Chatham noted that he and his team have done an extensive amount of review with relevant county departments and said that they see opportunities to strengthen data privacy and security requirements and will provide the board with updates as they continue to make progress.
Supervisor Kate Daniels thanked Chatham and Askew for their leadership, saying that she was appreciative of the efforts to bring this issue forward, noting that this wasn’t an area of policy that was on her radar and would be supportive of future actions.
