OMB updates rules to protect government data.

• Position: GOVERNMENT RECORDS - Office of Management and Budget

After a spate of large breaches involving federal agencies, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has revised its rules to promote data protection in the federal government.

OMB released an 85-page update to Circular A-130 highlighting how the OMB "recognizes the need for strong data governance that encourages agencies to proactively identify risks, determine practical and implementable solutions to address said risks, and implement and continually test the solutions," according to a Legaltech News report.

The document, which was sent to the heads of all federal departments and agencies, is designed to establish general policy for the planning, budgeting, governance, acquisition, and management of federal information, personnel, equipment, funds, IT resources, and supporting infrastructure and services.

With its circular, the OMB is sending a message to government agencies--in the form of a framework--that they need to develop a culture of privacy and security protection.

Bart Lazar, attorney at Seyfarth Shaw, told Legaltech News that for years the private sector has been encouraged to establish a C-suite level champion within each company for...