Alaska Joins National, Bipartisan Effort to Empower Americans to Take Control of Their Privacy
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 19, 2016
JUNEAU – On Wednesday, January 20 at 10 a.m., Representative Andy Josephson (D-Anchorage) will ask his fellow legislators to protect the data privacy of students and employees by supporting legislation he will introduce in the coming days.
Rep. Josephson’s legislation is part of a 17-state, bipartisan effort to empower Americans to take control of their privacy protections in the digital age. As part of the effort, 17 events will be held simultaneously nationwide. A bipartisan coalition of elected officials and citizens will join together to tell the nation they care about their digital privacy and are willing to fight for it. The 17 very diverse states represent 34% of the nation’s states and the bills have the ability to impact over 88 million people.
WHO: Rep. Andy Josephson and Joshua A. Decker, Executive Director, ACLU of Alaska
WHAT: Rep. Josephson to announce details of his two privacy bills
WHERE: The offices of Ray Gillespie and Associates, 217 2nd Street, Room 205, Juneau
WHEN: Wednesday, January 20 at 10 a.m.
Alaskans today are as likely to use a social media account to communicate their ideas to a selective audience as they were to use a telephone a generation ago. This vibrant forum for the exchange of ideas and personal information will be compromised if students, employees, and prospective employees know they may be forced to provide access to their personal social media accounts. Rep. Josephson’s two bills stop schools and employers from forcing or coercing their students, employees, or job applicants into providing access to their personal social media accounts, except under a limited set of specifically defined circumstances.
There is a broad national consensus that the government needs to be more focused on protecting privacy in the digital age: a recent poll found that 90% of Americans want the next president to prioritize “protecting privacy so [Americans] have more control over our personal information.”
For more information, contact Rep. Josephson’s office at (907)465-4939.
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