FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
NEWS ADVISORY
March 13,2015
For More Information, contact:
Luther Strange
Mike Lewis (334) 353-2199
Alabama Attorney General
Joy Patterson (334) 242-7491
Claire Haynes (334) 242-7351
Page 1 of 1
AG ANNOUNCES CONCLUSION OF ATTORNEYS GENERAL
SOUTHERN REGION MEETING IN ALABAMA COVERING BIG
DATA: CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES
(POINT CLEAR, AL) – Alabama Attorney General Luther Strange announced the
conclusion of a one-and-a-half-day Southern Region meeting of the National Association of
Attorneys General covering “Big Data: Challenges and Opportunities.”
“I’m pleased to report the successful conclusion of a very beneficial meeting of attorneys
general from six states reaching across political and geographical lines to address the interrelated
challenges of preventing data breaches while also protecting the fundamental right to privacy,”
said Attorney General Strange.
“Joining me in the discussions, which covered everything from foreign cyberattacks
against government and business to the impact of mobile device encryption on law enforcement,
were attorneys general from Georgia, Indiana, Mississippi, Tennessee and Virginia.”
With the proliferation of mobile devices and the shift to cloud storage, the challenge of
safeguarding property and protecting data is growing exponentially. The attorneys general and
expert panelists from government and industry agreed upon the need to work together to secure
big data and strengthen the public’s right to privacy.
Among the issues discussed were what can be learned from a data breach, new cyber
security risks and developing threats, striking a balance between big data and privacy, discussion
of a national data breach disclosure law, mobile device security policy, and the benefits and risks
of storing public data on cloud platforms.
Reginald Hyde, Executive Director of the University of Alabama Cyber Institute, was the
keynote speaker.
Panel participants included Stuart McKee, Chief Technology Officer, State and Local
Government, Microsoft; Marcus Sachs, Vice President, National Security Policy, Verizon; Chris
Lang, Global Privacy Officer, UPS; George White, Chief, Information Assurance Unit, FBI (CJIS
Division); and Randy Hillman, Executive Director, Alabama District Attorneys Association.
Attorney General Strange serves as chair of the NAAG Southern Region, which is comprised of
13 states.
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501 Washington Avenue * Montgomery, AL 36104 * (334) 242-7300
www.ago.alabama.gov
