US: BIG DATA: Report to the President from the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology

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"In light of the continuing proliferation of ways to collect and use information about people, PCAST recommends that policy focus primarily on whether specific uses of information about people affect privacy adversely. It also recommends that policy focus on outcomes, on the “what” rather than the “how,” to avoid becoming obsolete as technology advances. The policy framework should accelerate the development and commercialization of technologies that can help to contain adverse impacts on privacy, including research into new technological options. By using technology more effectively, the Nation can lead internationally in making the most of big data’s benefits while limiting the concerns it poses for privacy. Finally, PCAST calls for efforts to assure that there is enough talent available with the expertise needed to develop and use big data in a privacy-sensitive way."

See the full report: Big data and privacy: a technological perspective (pdf)

And see: Report from the Executive Office of the President: Big data: seizing opportunities, preserving values (pdf)

"Big data technologies will be transformative in every sphere of life. The knowledge discovery they make possible raises considerable questions about how our framework for privacy protec-tion applies in a big data ecosystem. Big data also raises other concerns. A significant finding of this report is that big data analytics have the potential to eclipse longstanding civil rights protec-tions in how personal information is used in housing, credit, employment, health, education, and the marketplace. Americans’ relationship with data should expand, not diminish, their opportuni-ties and potential."

Plus: NTIA Leads Privacy Bill of Rights Review in Light of `Big Data' Trend (Bloomberg BNA, link) "National Telecommunications and Information Administration unveils effort to review administration's 2012 consumer 'privacy bill of rights' in light of 'big data' developments."

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