Matthew Fitzsimmons is an Assistant Attorney General in Connecticut, working in that Office's Consumer Protection Department. He serves as the lead attorney in the Office on all matters involving data security and privacy, most often in relation to data breaches. AAG Fitzsimmons has been the office's lead attorney in multistate investigations of and negotiations with internet and technology companies, including Google, Facebook, MySpace, Topix and Dell. He also served as co-lead counsel in the first-ever state enforcement action (under the HITECH Act of 2009) for alleged violations of HIPAA. During his career as an Assistant Attorney General, AAG Fitzsimmons has litigated an array of complex matters involving violations of the Connecticut Unfair Trade Practices Act in state and federal court, and has also argued on behalf of the State in numerous bankruptcy cases in several states where consumer protection laws and policies are implicated.
Recently, AAG Fitzsimmons was appointed by the Attorney General to lead a multi-disciplinary Privacy Task Force within the Office of the Attorney General. A key responsibility of the Task Force is to focus agency efforts to promote protection of personal data and information, which will include meeting and working proactively with businesses and other entities that collect, store and use personal information. The Task Force, under AAG Fitzsimmons' leadership, will also be responsible for all Office investigations in matters relating to consumer privacy and data security, and any necessary enforcement relative thereto. The Task Force will also be responsible for tracking emerging issues associated with technology and privacy concerns, and reviewing legislative proposals affecting privacy interests of Connecticut citizens.
AAG Fitzsimmons is a frequent guest speaker and panelist at industry and continuing legal education events on the topic of data privacy and security, and has contributed to panel discussions in the United States and Canada.
AAG Fitzsimmons also recently began serving as Adjunct Professor at the University of Connecticut School of Law, where he teaches oral advocacy and brief writing as part of the school's moot court program.
AAG Fitzsimmons received his B.A., magna cum laude, from the University of Hartford and his J.D., with honors, from the University of Connecticut School of Law.