When we talk about privacy, what comes to mind? Do you think about closing your curtains? Putting your phone upside down?

Here at the Department of Public Safety, our Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) staff think of your data and ways to keep it safe. Data Privacy Day is Jan. 28 each year, but each and every day we reflect on the many ways we keep your information safe from those who would misuse it.

The BCA tracks many kinds of data including criminal history records, information about stolen vehicles, and details about missing or wanted people. The BCA also accesses records from other states and FBI files, and it holds records related to investigations and forensic laboratory testing of evidence for criminal cases across the state.

“We are trusted with protecting a lot of data, and we take that responsibility seriously," said Diane Bartell, the BCA deputy superintendent of Minnesota Justice Information Services. “We will continue to pursue the most modern, secure and reliable systems to keep your data safe."

Almost any time you are cited or charged with a crime or part of a criminal court process, a lot of paperwork comes along with it. The vast majority is completed in a BCA-developed system called eCharging. eCharging electronically passes information gathered at the roadside, breath or blood alcohol testing information in DWI incidents, criminal complaints, search warrants and much more between law enforcement, attorneys and the courts.

Much of the information is protected under the law, so the BCA designed eCharging to store and share data in a secure environment that can only be accessed by people with a legal right to view it. The BCA must continually monitor eCharging and other systems to ensure they are up to date with current technology and that the data is secure.

During last year's legislative session, Minnesota lawmakers invested more than $10 million in cybersecurity and critical infrastructure upgrades at the BCA. Since then, we have been putting those funds to use, finding new ways to keep your data secure.

We're modernizing our data recovery plans and looking at how we can use the cloud to create recovery capability in a way that meets strict security standards set by the BCA and FBI. We brought on additional staff to ensure data is secure as we transition to using more cloud services. They will also ensure that how the data is held and accessed meets state and federal requirements on an ongoing basis.

Meanwhile, the BCA is expanding the ways we protect our networks and scan our systems, implementing automated technology to continually scan our environments and spot any issues. We're also replacing the path that users take to log into our systems. The updated technology will improve the users' experiences, while also ensuring the system is stable and secure so your data stays safe.​