A recent report sheds light on the challenges faced by public servants in safeguarding their private data amid increasing violent threats. The study, conducted by researcher Justin Sherman of the Security Project at the Public Service Alliance, highlights the inadequacies of state-level consumer privacy laws in protecting civil servants, creating a concerning ‘data-to-violence pipeline.’
Sherman’s analysis of 19 different consumer privacy laws reveals a significant gap in safeguarding public employees. While these laws grant consumers control over the sale of their personal information by data brokers, they fail to empower public servants to compel state agencies to redact their personal data from public records. Additionally, the absence of a ‘private right of action’ leaves public servants with limited recourse against privacy law violations.
Amidst these challenges, threats against public servants have been on the rise, with over 1,600 individual threats documented between 2015 and 2025. Notably, a substantial portion of these incidents involve violent threats against local public servants, underscoring the urgency of addressing data privacy vulnerabilities.
Source: WIRED