The White House should issue a request for...

The White House should issue a request for information on the “concerns and opinions of those whose data may be collected in bulk as a result of their engagement with technology,” said 25 civil society groups Monday in an open letter to the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) (http://bit.ly/1eKDpRH). The letter coincided with a Monday meeting between privacy groups and the White House team reviewing the privacy concerns arising from big data (CD Feb 10 p15). The 25 groups -- including the Electronic Privacy Information Center, Center for Democracy and Technology, Center for Digital Democracy, Consumer Watchdog and Electronic Frontier Foundation -- called on OSTP to seek answers to some privacy-related questions: What are the harms arising from big data collection? Is the current legal frame adequate to govern big data? What technical measures might minimize privacy risks? And, how can the private and public sector be more transparent in their use of big data? The privacy groups urged the White House Monday to open the public comment period as soon as possible. “Through big data, government agencies could covertly make decisions about individuals, while denying due process rights such as information access and correction,” they said in the letter. “Today similar concerns arise about the use of personal data by large commercial entities."