Jonathan Cantor

Mr. Cantor joined the Department of Homeland Security as Deputy Chief Privacy Officer on July 1, 2012. He advises the Chief Privacy Officer and other senior DHS leaders on domestic and international privacy laws, policies, and programs. He is a member of the Senior Executive Service, with 20 years of experience in privacy, transparency, and information access.

Mr. Cantor has also served as the Acting Chief Privacy Officer and Chief Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) Officer two times: from August 2012 until October 2013, and again from July 2016 until July 2017.

Before coming to DHS, Mr. Cantor previously served as the Chief Privacy Officer of the Department of Commerce, and the senior privacy official at the Social Security Administration. He served as the Department of Commerce’s first Chief Privacy Officer, charged with developing a departmental program, where he led the Department’s Open Government activities and helped improve its FOIA program. He also contributed to the Obama Administration’s Consumer Privacy Bill of Rights and other projects involving landmark privacy policy. At the Social Security Administration, he was responsible for revamping the agency’s privacy regulations, and led Social Security’s transition to a modern privacy program designed for the Internet age.

He currently serves as co-chair of the Federal Privacy Council’s Federal Privacy Workforce Committee and the Privacy Talent and Career Development Subcommittee. He also serves on the Board of Directors of the American Society of Access Professionals, and the Worldwide Assurance for Employees of Public Agencies (WAEPA). Previously, he was co-chair of the Federal CIO Council Privacy Committee. He is also a long-time member of the International Association of Privacy Professionals, serving on its Education Advisory Board. He also holds CIPP/US and CIPP/G certifications.

Mr. Cantor graduated cum laude from Duke University, and received his J.D. with honors from The George Washington University Law School.