Treatment of Data
Private and Public

What Data is Collected?

We collect, analyze, store, and disseminate only information that is:

• Publicly accessible through government websites, public directories, meeting minutes, open data portals, or other official records.

• Related to the professional duties of public employees, such as names, work emails, work phone numbers, job titles, agency affiliations, delegated authority, and other professional information that is publicly posted or disclosable under applicable law.

• Relevant only to specific, scoped research objectives.

We do not intentionally collect sensitive or nonpublic personal information such as home addresses, personal phone numbers, Social Security numbers, or similar data. We analyze our data libraries consistently, deleting all information that is found to be inaccurate, improper, or irrelevant.

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How is Data Collected?

St. George leverages web-published data sets for the majority of our work. Occasionally, our work requires the submission of public records requests from our state, regional, and local agencies. St. George is committed to transparency, responsible data handling, and the ethical reuse of public-sector information. We are always open to feedback from agencies on ways to further improve searchability and minimize the related burden of work associated with our requests. Similarly, St. George is committed to providing individual public employees insight into any and all uses of their information as well as the opportunity to correct if required. 

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Purpose of Data Use

We analyze public employee information strictly for legitimate public‑interest, research for hire, and operational purposes, including:

Ensuring information provided to St. George research and advisory clients regarding the jurisdictions, agency processes, standards, and stakeholders that must be engaged while navigating local, regional, or state objectives

• Developing insights, tools, and reports based on government operations

• Conducting statistical or organizational analysis based solely on public data

• Enhancing the quality and consistency of public-sector information

• Supporting research, transparency initiatives, and public accountability

We do not use public employee data to support mass marketing campaigns, commercial profiling unrelated to public duties, or any purpose incompatible with the public nature of the underlying records.

 

Data Storage and Security

Although the data we collect and store is public, we have developed technical and organizational safeguards to mitigate risks of misuse, including:

• Access controls and role‑based permissions

• Encrypted systems and backups

• Data integrity monitoring

• Internal policies governing ethical data use

We treat public employee data with respect and diligence consistent with its intended public function. We were public employees and have been subject to hundreds of public records requests.

 

Data Sharing

When appropriate, we share processed outputs and/or aggregated data. Examples include:

• Reports and research publications

• Public-facing data tools

• Analytical insights that rely on public-sector information

We do not, and will never, sell raw datasets containing public employee identifiers. Public employee identifiers are only used when referencing key staff, stakeholders, and officials with authority specific to the subject of the scoped research. Often, those reports include the name, title, and agency-published contact information for managers and individual contributors with direct knowledge of the scoped research. 

We strive to only share information in ways that would comply with the PRA, FOIA, or applicable data ethics guidelines.

St. George is committed to transparency, responsible data handling, and the ethical reuse of public-sector information. We are always open to feedback from agencies on ways to further improve searchability and minimize the related burden of work associated with our requests. Similarly, St. George is committed to providing individual public employees insight into any and all uses of their information as well as the opportunity to correct if required.

 

Individual Rights

We will always consider requests from public servants to modify information we have collected related to their work and/or an opportunity to guide contact preferences. Public employees whose work-related information may appear in public records may contact us using the submission form below to request:

Correction of demonstrably inaccurate information

• Removal of data that was sourced in error or is not actually public record

• Clarification on how their publicly available information is used

• Specific contact protocols

Note: Because the information is publicly available under law, requests for removal of the relevant data will only be honored when the data is inaccurate. Each agency and work unit operates differently, however, and the classification and title of those with decision making, or delegated, authority are based on known agency practices. Because agency operations and employee job assignments change rapidly, we will evaluate each request carefully and in good faith.

 

Data Retention

We retain publicly sourced data only as long as needed to support our research and operational objectives. When information becomes obsolete or superseded, we delete or archive it according to internal retention standards and applicable public information handling practices.

Unlike our public sector partners, we are able to reduce storage and compute costs by implementing short data retention periods. Our records comply with records retention requirements for Washington State corporations as governed by applicable state laws and regulatory agency rules.  If you have questions about our data retention practices relevant to the use of your individual information, please contact us.

 

Legal Basis for Processing

Washington State Law

Our data practices rely on the legal principle that public records must be made accessible unless exempted.

The Washington Public Records Act (PRA) (RCW 42.56) establishes:

• Public access requirements and agency obligations (RCW 42.56.070, 42.56.080) [app.leg.wa.gov]

• Privacy considerations and exemptions for specific personal information (RCW 42.56.210, RCW 42.56.230) [app.leg.wa.gov]

We use local, regional, and state ethical standards to guide our collection and use of public data. The model PRA rules are used to anticipate the required search parameters, need for third-party notices, and estimated delivery timeframe based on what we understand of the agency backlogs.

Federal Law

At the federal level, the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. SS 552, requires disclosure of federal agency records unless a statutory exemption applies. FOIA also serves as a legislative foundation for treating certain government employee work contact information as public.

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Updates to This Statement

We may update this Data Privacy Statement to reflect changes to law, technology, or organizational practices. Updates will be published with a revised “Last Updated” date.

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