Privacy and Security

The Obama administration apparently wants its legacy to be that of regulating the Internet, notwithstanding the Internet’s remarkable success in the United States under what has been a generally light-handed regulatory regime.

The recent White House big data reports are inconsistent with the Consumer Privacy Bill of Rights proposed by the White House in 2012, states Technology Policy Institute President Thomas Lenard in comments filed with the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA). The reports, by a group led by Counselor John Podesta (the Big Data Report) and a complementary report by the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST Report), suggest privacy policy should focus on specific harmful uses of information, as opposed to policies limiting collection and use as described in the Privacy Bill of Rights

There is no evidence that big data results in discrimination against particular groups, states Technology Policy Institute President Thomas Lenard in comments filed with the Federal Trade Commission. The use of big data instead actually benefits lower-income consumers and helps companies make more accurate decisions. The comments are in response to a call for input on issues related to the upcoming workshop, “Big Data: A Tool for Inclusion or Exclusion?”