WA AG says new agreement protects SNAP recipients’ data

More than one million Washington residents receive federal food assistance benefits.

Fidelity Information Services, the vendor administering SNAP benefits in Washington, has agreed to continue to limit its disclosure of confidential information, which is already part of its contract with the state.

“When someone in Washington signs up for help putting food on the table, their confidential information is protected by law,” Brown said. “No matter how many threats to privacy we face in these uncertain times, my office will act to safeguard Washingtonians’ personal information.”

Government tries to obtain SNAP data for immigration enforcement

Last year, the federal government tried to obtain SNAP recipients’ data to use for immigration enforcement.

“The company initially told the Washington Department of Health and Human Services (DSHS) that it intended to turn over the personal data of SNAP cardholders in Washington,” according to a news release from Brown’s office. “After DSHS told Fidelity not to disclose the information, the company initially agreed not to, but then failed to respond to repeated requests from DSHS for confirmation.”

That led to the AG’s office suing Fidelity last July.

“After an investigation, DSHS concluded that Fidelity complied with its contractual obligations and did not disclose confidential data about Washington SNAP recipients to USDA,” the release said. “Under the agreement, DSHS and Fidelity have reaffirmed their confidentiality obligations under their EBT services contract and confirmed they have not disclosed or agreed to disclose any confidential information.”

KIRO Newsradio has reached out to Fidelity for comment.

Frank Lenzi is the News Director for KIRO Newsradio. Read more of his stories here.