The White House’s internal report on ‘Big Data’ and privacy issues, released Thursday afternoon, largely sidestepped the controversial issue of government surveillance, emphasizing claims that modern data collection technologies are “saving lives” and making economic and energy systems “more efficient.”
The result of a three-month review headed by White House adviser John Podesta, the assessment was convened by President Obama following pressure and outrage over mass surveillance by the U.S. and other governments exposed by NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden.
Yet, the report dodged a thorough examination of data collection for intelligence purposes, instead focusing on policies across government agencies and in the private sector.
“We are disappointed with the scope, because the report was created as a result of the president’s response to questions of NSA surveillance,” said Lee Tien, senior staff attorney for Electronic Frontier Foundation, in an interview with Common Dreams. “We thought it was a bad move that when they actually started doing the report, it was scoped to largely avoid NSA surveillance and intelligence.”
The report claims that big data collection has numerous advantages, from medical research to energy efficiency to global development.
Yet, Tien said he takes issue with the report’s assumption that mass data collection is a “given.”
“A lot of people are wondering, wait a minute, why did you get to collect that data in the first place?” said Lee. “That issue of mass collection of data continues to be a really serious issue for the average person and for courts, when you look at drones, video surveillance cameras, and automatic license place recognition.”
The report acknowledges that mass data collection presents “serious concerns about how we protect our privacy and other values,” according to a summary provided by the White House. The summary states that data mining technologies can “reveal intimate and personal details,” and “government uses of big data also have the potential to chill the exercise of free speech or free association.”
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