Assembly Resolution No. 24

BY: M. of A. Rosenthal L

MEMORIALIZING Governor Andrew M. Cuomo to proclaim
January 28, 2021, as Data Privacy Day in the State
of New York

WHEREAS, It is the sense of this Legislative Body to recognize
official days that are set aside to increase awareness of serious issues
that affect the lives of citizens of New York State; and

WHEREAS, Attendant to such concern, and in full accord with its
long-standing traditions, this Legislative Body is justly proud to
memorialize Governor Andrew M. Cuomo to proclaim January 28, 2021, as
Data Privacy Day in the State of New York, in conjunction with the
observance of National Data Privacy Day; and

WHEREAS, The themes for this year's Data Privacy Day are "Own Your
Privacy" which encourages individuals to make informed decisions about
the information they choose to share and to be mindful of the
applications they use and their privacy settings; and

WHEREAS, The second theme is "Respect Privacy" which asks
organizations to be responsible for keeping individuals personal
information safe from unauthorized access and ensuring fair, relevant
and legitimate data collection and processing; and

WHEREAS, Data Privacy Day began in the United States in January of
2008, and commemorates the January 28, 1981, signing of Convention 108,
the first legally binding international treaty dealing with privacy and
data protection; and

WHEREAS, Today, Data Privacy Day is observed in the United States,
Canada, Israel and 47 European countries; and

WHEREAS, The National Cyber Security Alliance (NCSA) officially
leads the Data Privacy Day campaign and is advised by a distinguished
advisory committee of privacy professionals to help the campaign align
with the most current privacy issues in a thoughtful and meaningful way;
and

WHEREAS, Data Privacy Day's educational initiative originally
focused on raising awareness among businesses as well as users about the
importance of protecting the privacy of their personal information
online, particularly in the context of social networking; and

WHEREAS, The educational focus has expanded over the past six years
to include families, consumers and businesses; and

WHEREAS, In addition to its educational initiative, Data Privacy Day
promotes events and activities that stimulate the development of
technology tools that promote individual control over personally
identifiable information; encourages compliance with privacy laws and
regulations; and creates dialogue among stakeholders interested in
advancing data protection and privacy; and

WHEREAS, Many examples abound of the perils of poor data management;
lives and livelihoods can be destroyed by theft of identity, credit
information, and the like, including the denial of a loan or new credit
card, removal from one's hard-earned state of financial stability, and
the mental duress of loss of privacy and security of one's personal
information and data; and

WHEREAS, The threat of data breaches and data theft continues to
loom large and continues to grow and plague more New Yorkers and
Americans each day; and

WHEREAS, As more commerce, communication, and other aspects of the
daily lives of New Yorkers occur digitally, it is more important than
ever to be educated on the safe practices of data privacy and safety,
and to take steps whenever possible to increase data security; and

WHEREAS, It is imperative that there be greater awareness of the
importance of data privacy, and more must be done to increase activity
at the local, State and National levels; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to
memorialize Governor Andrew M. Cuomo to proclaim January 28, 2021, as
Data Privacy Day in the State of New York; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be
transmitted to The Honorable Andrew M. Cuomo, Governor of the State of
New York.