Authorizing the Committee on Public Safety to hold hearings to investigate the ability and preparedness of critical City departments to possess a redundancy of records.

Authorizing the Committee on Public Safety to hold hearings to investigate the ability and preparedness of critical City departments to possess a redundancy of records. WHEREAS, In the current technological climate, the occurrence of unauthorized entities compromising critical databases is on the rise. Data breaches are incredibly harmful to the autonomy and safety of critical departments, infrastructure, and the City of Philadelphia at-large; and WHEREAS, As technology has advanced, the practice of keeping a tangible paper trail of records has fallen by the wayside. The convenience of entering data and information into an electronic database is enticing and has become the new standard of operation for many city departments. However, with the risk of fraudulent entities obtaining access to confidential data, the City of Philadelphia must take measures to protect vital data in the event of a data breach; and WHEREAS, The City of Philadelphia is not immune to cyberattacks. In 2023, the City of Philadelphia underwent a substantial cyberattack where an unauthorized user may have gained access to City email accounts that possibly contained protected health information. The hackers spent at least three months inside City email systems, giving them wide access to health information stored in email accounts; and WHEREAS, The motives of outside entities that gain access to confidential databases are unpredictable. The City of Philadelphia cannot predict when or why these attacks will …