The Data Privacy Risk Lurking in Paperless Government
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<p>The world is becoming increasingly paperless, and most organizations, including federal agencies, are following suit. Switching from paper-based processes to digital ones offers great benefits. However, the security and compliance challenges that come with this shift aren’t to be taken lightly.</p><p>As the federal government goes paperless to cut costs and modernize operational processes, a major risk is being overlooked: the sensitive data trapped in outdated or static documents.</p><div class="code-block code-block-13" style="margin: 8px 0; clear: both;"> <style> .ai-rotate {position: relative;} .ai-rotate-hidden {visibility: hidden;} .ai-rotate-hidden-2 {position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%;} .ai-list-data, .ai-ip-data, .ai-filter-check, .ai-fallback, .ai-list-block, .ai-list-block-ip, .ai-list-block-filter {visibility: hidden; position: absolute; width: 50%; height: 1px; top: -1000px; z-index: -9999; margin: 0px!important;} .ai-list-data, .ai-ip-data, .ai-filter-check, .ai-fallback {min-width: 1px;} </style> <div class="ai-rotate ai-unprocessed ai-timed-rotation ai-13-1" data-info="WyIxMy0xIiwxXQ==" style="position: relative;"> <div class="ai-rotate-option" style="visibility: hidden;" data-index="1" data-name="U2hvcnQ=" data-time="MTA="> <div class="custom-ad"> <div style="margin: auto; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.techstrongevents.com/cruisecon-virtual-west-2025/home?ref=in-article-ad-2&utm_source=sb&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=in-article-ad-2" target="_blank"><img src="https://securityboulevard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Banner-770x330-social-1.png" alt="Cruise Con 2025"></a></div> <div class="clear-custom-ad"></div> </div></div> </div> </div><h3><strong>Why Paper-Based Processes Are So Hard to Leave Behind</strong></h3><p>Paperwork: It’s the way we’ve always done things. This, coupled with the ability to physically secure sensitive paperwork and keep it in a controlled environment, gives people the peace of mind that paper-based data handling is a safe option. However, the world has moved toward a digital data-handling model. Snail mail and faxes are increasingly uncommon, especially when email offers almost instant access to necessary information. Going digital has allowed us to be more efficient — and it’s time our paperwork caught up.</p><p>Many organizations will use a blend of digital and paper-based processes, still using static documents (either physical or as a Word document) and then scanning and sending these documents via email. Of course, there is also always the risk that a hacker or insider threat could get into your email or physical office space, accessing information that they shouldn’t have. There is also the chance an employee could accidentally leave paperwork on their desk and unintentionally expose sensitive data.</p><p>Static documents, along with causing inefficiencies and data silos, don’t have the ability for sensitive data to have an additional layer of protection via data scramblers, encryption, or redaction.</p><h3><strong>Common Risks and Challenges Government Agencies Face when Going Paperless</strong></h3><p>Switching to paperless or digital systems comes with its own inherent risks, the most glaring being data leakage. While going digital is necessary, people are creatures of habit and changing their workflow processes or adopting a process with security threats that they are unaware of opens the door to security vulnerabilities.</p><p>This is usually caused by a few things:</p><ul> <li>Immature technology infrastructure</li> <li>Mishandling data — either due to carelessness or lack of education on how to properly handle sensitive data</li> <li>Insufficient training for the digital age</li> <li>Change management and interdepartmental friction</li> <li>Working with third-party vendors who don’t follow the same privacy standards or may be subject to different regulations</li> </ul><p>In addition to these risks, the remote-work landscape has added another layer of security complexity. Now, people can be more mobile. Working with laptops, Virtual Private Networks (VPNs), and work-from-anywhere culture (say for instance, if your WiFi goes out and you need to work from a coffee shop), are all variables that need to be accounted for. An in-office setting made it easier to control what people used or shared, and with this freedom and flexibility, there is more risk for security breaches.</p><p>Risk mitigation strategies to implement as you go paperless</p><p>We’ve all heard of major data security breaches happening because of one small oversight. Whether small or large, security breaches are costly — not only financially but also in terms of long-term reputation and trustworthiness. Thankfully, there are things you can do to reduce both liabilities and long-term costs.</p><h3><strong>Ensure You Have a Strong Technology Infrastructure</strong></h3><p>Do you have the right platforms and technologies? The platforms you use to handle sensitive data should have their own security measures in place that align with industry standards. Some things to look for in your data management platform include:</p><ul> <li><strong>Federally compliant CRM.</strong> Salesforce is a great example of a federally compliant CRM platform — that’s why it’s the number one CRM in the world. Choosing a CRM that’s already adhering to the cybersecurity standards that you need to meet makes it much easier to stay compliant.</li> <li><strong>Flexible access controls. </strong>Controlling who sees what data makes it much easier to ensure sensitive information doesn’t accidentally fall into the wrong hands.</li> <li><strong>Privacy walls. </strong>Ensuring that only people with the right credentials can see sensitive data.</li> <li><strong>Redaction capabilities. </strong>Allowing people to share certain information or documents while hiding sensitive data that they may not have the clearance to access.</li> <li><strong>Native document automation capabilities. </strong>Documents, like Social Security claims, unemployment benefits, tax forms, etc., are where most sensitive Personally Identifiable Information (PII) data lives. Document automation is a great time-saving tool that can have the above features built into it, making it much safer to handle documents with sensitive data. Bonus points: Choose a document automation that’s native to Salesforce so that you don’t have to export data to another platform and still have risk.</li> </ul><h3><strong>Regular Security Training and Audits</strong></h3><p>Annual training certifications with an accredited cybersecurity auditor are a great place to start. This can help get everyone up to speed on how to safely handle sensitive data. Regularly run trainings and compliance drills to ensure your team is always up to date and on guard against breaches.</p><h3><strong>Instill a Data Governance Board on Your Team</strong></h3><p>To avoid data security falling through the cracks, someone on your team should be tasked with data governance. Ideally, you would have a data governance board with data custodians and data stewards that can talk through security breach scenarios and risks, run drills, and ensure that government organizations stay compliant.</p><div class="spu-placeholder" style="display:none"></div><div class="addtoany_share_save_container addtoany_content addtoany_content_bottom"><div class="a2a_kit a2a_kit_size_20 addtoany_list" data-a2a-url="https://securityboulevard.com/2025/11/the-data-privacy-risk-lurking-in-paperless-government/" data-a2a-title="The Data Privacy Risk Lurking in Paperless Government"><a class="a2a_button_twitter" href="https://www.addtoany.com/add_to/twitter?linkurl=https%3A%2F%2Fsecurityboulevard.com%2F2025%2F11%2Fthe-data-privacy-risk-lurking-in-paperless-government%2F&linkname=The%20Data%20Privacy%20Risk%20Lurking%20in%20Paperless%20Government" title="Twitter" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank"></a><a class="a2a_button_linkedin" href="https://www.addtoany.com/add_to/linkedin?linkurl=https%3A%2F%2Fsecurityboulevard.com%2F2025%2F11%2Fthe-data-privacy-risk-lurking-in-paperless-government%2F&linkname=The%20Data%20Privacy%20Risk%20Lurking%20in%20Paperless%20Government" title="LinkedIn" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank"></a><a class="a2a_button_facebook" href="https://www.addtoany.com/add_to/facebook?linkurl=https%3A%2F%2Fsecurityboulevard.com%2F2025%2F11%2Fthe-data-privacy-risk-lurking-in-paperless-government%2F&linkname=The%20Data%20Privacy%20Risk%20Lurking%20in%20Paperless%20Government" title="Facebook" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank"></a><a class="a2a_button_reddit" href="https://www.addtoany.com/add_to/reddit?linkurl=https%3A%2F%2Fsecurityboulevard.com%2F2025%2F11%2Fthe-data-privacy-risk-lurking-in-paperless-government%2F&linkname=The%20Data%20Privacy%20Risk%20Lurking%20in%20Paperless%20Government" title="Reddit" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank"></a><a class="a2a_button_email" href="https://www.addtoany.com/add_to/email?linkurl=https%3A%2F%2Fsecurityboulevard.com%2F2025%2F11%2Fthe-data-privacy-risk-lurking-in-paperless-government%2F&linkname=The%20Data%20Privacy%20Risk%20Lurking%20in%20Paperless%20Government" title="Email" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank"></a><a class="a2a_dd addtoany_share_save addtoany_share" href="https://www.addtoany.com/share"></a></div></div>