In one of his last actions as U.S. Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, incoming White House Chief of Staff John Kelly has named Sam Kaplan as Chief Privacy Officer for the Department of Homeland Security, a position that has been filled by Acting CPO Jonathan Cantor since the departure of Karen Neuman in June 2016. 

Most recently, Kaplan was serving as senior counsel for field operations in the Office of Chief Counsel at the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. He has also, however, served as counselor to a member of the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board and Kelly notes in a letter announcing Kaplan's appointment that he "reviewed the procedures and privacy protections promulgated by the Intelligence Community pursuant to Presidential Policy Directive 28; examined privacy and civil liberties guidance developed for the Information Sharing Environment; and reviewed the privacy impact assessments developed on cybersecurity activities conducted under Executive Order 13636. He was also a member of the oversight team reviewing counterterrorism activities undertaken pursuant to Executive Order 12333, specifically examining the privacy and civil liberties impact of four programs conducted by the National Security Agency and the Central Intelligence Agency."

The Privacy Advisor continues to report on this story.