By Aaron Allen, The Seattle Medium
Washinton State Attorney General Nick Brown has secured an agreement to safeguard the private data of more than 1 million Washington residents who receive federal food assistance benefits.
The agreement with Fidelity Information Services, the vendor managing Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits in Washington, ensures the company will honor its contract and limit the disclosure of confidential information.
The action stems from a lawsuit filed in Thurston County Superior Court on July 24, 2025, in which the Attorney General’s Office sought to stop Fidelity from “illegally sharing SNAP recipients’ data with the U.S. Department of Agriculture,” which had sought the information for immigration enforcement purposes.
“When someone in Washington signs up for help putting food on the table, their confidential information is protected by law,” Brown said. “No matter how many threats to privacy we face in these uncertain times, my office will act to safeguard Washingtonians’ personal information.”
According to court filings, the Washington Department of Health and Human Services initially learned that Fidelity intended to disclose personal SNAP data to the USDA. The state agency instructed the company not to share confidential information, and Fidelity ultimately complied with that directive.
“The company initially told the Washington Department of Health and Human Services that it intended to turn over the personal data of SNAP cardholders in Washington,” says officials from the Attorney General’s Office. “After DSHS told Fidelity not to disclose the information, the company initially agreed not to but then failed to respond to repeated requests from DSHS for confirmation, leading to this lawsuit.”
An investigation confirmed that Fidelity has not disclosed confidential SNAP data to the USDA.
The agreement reached between the Attorney General’s Office, Fidelity and the Department of Social and Health Services serves to reaffirm Fidelity’s confidentiality obligations and ensures that no confidential information has been or will be disclosed.
This lawsuit is one of several actions Brown has taken recently to protect SNAP recipients. In October 2025, Brown and a multistate coalition secured a preliminary injunction blocking the USDA’s demands for sensitive information. The Attorney General’s Office has also filed a motion to enforce that injunction.
“This is one of several lawsuits Brown has filed in recent months to protect SNAP recipients in the state,” says officials from the Attorney General’s Office. “Brown and a multistate coalition won a preliminary injunction in October blocking USDA’s demand that states turn over personal and sensitive information of SNAP recipients. Brown and the coalition recently filed a motion to enforce that injunction.”
