OLYMPIA, Wash. – Attorney General Nick Brown has filed a lawsuit against Fidelity Information Services (FIS) to prevent the company from sharing the personal data of more than one million Washington residents with the federal government. These residents have either applied for or are receiving food assistance benefits.
FIS currently serves as the contractor for Washington’s Department of Social and Health Services, handling benefit payments, including the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).
“Washington law requires that the information of public benefits applicants and recipients be protected from unauthorized disclosure or improper use,” Brown stated.
The contract with FIS mandates that the company must obtain written consent from the Department of Social and Health Services before sharing any information. Despite this, FIS informed the department of its intention to provide SNAP cardholders’ personal data to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).
The USDA claims it can legally acquire SNAP data directly from contractors rather than state agencies, intending to use it for the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement efforts.
