Notes
Notes on AI, privacy and public records.
Short, sourced notes on AI, privacy and public records in local government, written by someone who keeps the records, and built on primary public documents.
On the record
The questions towns are asking right now.
He has answered each one.
Research notes
All 10 notes.
Newest first, each built on primary public documents.
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Every Bergen County town has until April 26, 2028
The federal web accessibility rule gives every Bergen County municipality until April 26, 2028, to meet WCAG 2.1 AA, posted documents included.
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Your staff is already using AI
Surveys this year found more local offices using AI than governing it. The first step is not a ban but a register of what’s already in use.
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Buying AI under New Jersey’s purchasing rules
When quotations, bidding, business registration and pay-to-play apply to an AI purchase in New Jersey, what the federal OneGov offer means and how to set up a pilot a purchasing agent can sign.
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Is an AI chat an OPRA record?
New Jersey’s records law and AI guidance give offices a reason to keep chats they can find, while disclosure depends on the record and any exemption.
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AI redaction and Daniel’s Law
A redaction assistant can speed up a records response. It can’t tell whose address Daniel’s Law protects, and a covered text box isn’t a redaction.
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Three things “we use AI” can mean
An experiment, an approved pilot and an operational service are different things, with different stakes for residents, staff and public records. A claim should say which one it means.
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A correct source matters more than a fluent answer
An answer from the wrong version of a record can sound right and still be wrong. A worked example shows what to check before trusting one.
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Where a person has to stay in the minutes workflow
Minutes are the official record of what a public body did. A tool can help prepare them, but a person has to decide what happened.
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A public record isn’t automatically safe to hand to a tool
Some personal details in public records, such as certain home addresses, are protected by law. Before a record goes into an AI tool, someone should check what’s in it.
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Five questions to ask before an AI product demo
Five questions for a vendor before any demo: what happens to the data, what is kept, who can see it, what can change and how to leave.