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 Obama has pushed to do more to protect privacy in an age when
consumers leave a trail of digital footprints through smart phones,
personal devices and social media - information that can be
collected, analyzed and sold.
He has proposed action on a series of laws to address "Big Data"
concerns, but most have yet to find momentum.
That could change, given public concerns over privacy and
cybersecurity that have been amplified by high-profile hacking of
credit card data at companies such as Target <TGT.N> and Home Depot
<HD.N>, said top Obama adviser John Podesta.
"I think there's much more pressure now to move legislation and
we're certainly going to use all of the resources we have, including
the president's time, to ensure that the Congress takes this up,"
Podesta told Reuters in an interview.
In the next couple of weeks, Indiana Congressman Luke Messer, the
chairman of the House of Representatives Republican Policy
Committee, and Democrat Jared Polis of Colorado, an Internet
entrepreneur who founded a network of charter schools, will unveil a
student privacy bill.
"Protecting America’s children from Big Data shouldn’t be a partisan
issue," Messer said in a statement. "I’m glad to work across the
aisle to find the appropriate balance between technology in the
classroom and a parent’s right to protect their child’s privacy."
The lawmakers have long worked on the issue with privacy advocates
and more than 100 companies including Microsoft <MSFT.O>, Google
<GOOGL.O>, and News Corp <NWSA.O> subsidiary Amplify to develop a
privacy pledge to prevent misuse of data collected in classrooms.
The bill, still being finalized, will go a step further to ensure
data collected from students is used only for educational and
legitimate research purposes.
"Legislation is the best way to address parental concerns, while
encouraging new developments in individualized learning," Polis said
in a statement.
OTHER PRIVACY BILLS IN PLAY
A year ago, Obama assigned Podesta the task of making suggestions to
beef up data privacy laws after former spy contractor Edward Snowden
leaked classified information about government use of Big Data
analytics for surveillance.
Obama proposed a new national standard to require companies to tell
consumers within 30 days from the discovery of a data breach that
their personal information had been compromised.
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Lawmakers have struggled to come up with a way to replace a
patchwork of differing state regulations, but Podesta said he is
optimistic the issue could advance in the current Congress.
"We think there's real urgency with moving forward in legislation in
this regard," he said.
Also stalled: a proposal to update the outdated Electronic Privacy
Communications Act to protect email and other data stored in the
cloud, Podesta noted.
Yet to be tested on Capitol Hill is draft legislation, to be
unveiled this month, aimed at empowering consumers to have a say in
how their online data is harvested and sold by companies.
Podesta also has sought to raise awareness of concerns that Big Data
could be used to discriminate against people based on race or where
they live for housing or jobs.
On Thursday, the White House will release a report on how companies
use Big Data to offer different prices to different consumers.
Big Data techniques have "turbocharged" price discrimination,
raising concerns about fairness, particularly when consumers do not
control their own data or understand how companies are using it,
Podesta said.
"The report concludes that increased consumer transparency and
control can help prevent harmful discrimination in high-stakes
transactions and urges policy makers to guard against such
outcomes," Podesta said.
(Reporting by Roberta Rampton; Editing by Ken Wills)
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