It’s been nearly two years since the Obama Administration announced its Big Data Research and Development Initiative in March 2012, committing to improve the ways and means that the Federal government accesses, organizes and analyzes huge quantities of data. The initiative promised to develop and harness state-of-the-art technologies to accelerate and “transform our ability to use Big Data for scientific discovery, environmental and biomedical research, education, and national security.” Now, after the maelstrom of the Snowden revelations, and the ensuing (and ever-brewing) debate about NSA surveillance policies, the White House has launched a new program to review how the public and private sectors are gathering and utilizing “big data,” and the implications of such analysis when it comes up against privacy issues.President Obama announced in a January 17th speech that he had appointed his counselor, John Podesta, to spearhead this review. Less than a week later, Podesta posted an overview of his 90-day plan to tackle his daunting task: Audit current procedures, anticipate technological trends, and determine whether additional protections need to be implemented in order to balance the benefits of potential innovation and knowledge gleaned from massive consumer data–collection with the potential concerns that inevitably result from it, whether they are a matter of privacy, public policy, economy, or national security. As this may involve further government research, funding, and/or policy changes, Podesta’s team will be collaborating with numerous industry experts, government officials, academic institutions, think tanks, civil liberties groups, and other organizations here and around the world to develop the most comprehensive and robust plan of action.
This initiative was introduced at the tail end of the President’s outlining of numerous sweeping reforms to US intelligence programs, including the NSA. Considering the timing, some people question whether this program is a long-awaited Executive acknowledgment of the privacy risks of big data, or simply a ploy to distract the nation from the NSA controversy. Others welcome the attention and believe that, in addition to the anticipated improvement of consumer privacy, these expanded efforts to deal with big data will contribute to the creation of millions of IT jobs globally. Meanwhile, various groups have been petitioning to encourage the “meaningful public participation in the development of this important policy,” insisting that the public “should be given the opportunity to contribute to the…review of ‘Big Data and the Future of Privacy’ since it is their information that is being collected and their privacy and their future that is at stake.” With about 60 days remaining to Podesta’s timeline, it will be interesting to see if and how this review will take into account the input of all stakeholders.
This initiative was introduced at the tail end of the President’s outlining of numerous sweeping reforms to US intelligence programs, including the NSA. Considering the timing, some people question whether this program is a long-awaited Executive acknowledgment of the privacy risks of big data, or simply a ploy to distract the nation from the NSA controversy. Others welcome the attention and believe that, in addition to the anticipated improvement of consumer privacy, these expanded efforts to deal with big data will contribute to the creation of millions of IT jobs globally. Meanwhile, various groups have been petitioning to encourage the “meaningful public participation in the development of this important policy,” insisting that the public “should be given the opportunity to contribute to the…review of ‘Big Data and the Future of Privacy’ since it is their information that is being collected and their privacy and their future that is at stake.” With about 60 days remaining to Podesta’s timeline, it will be interesting to see if and how this review will take into account the input of all stakeholders.
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