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Big Data & Privacy News

By ALM Staff | Law Journal Newsletters |
June 02, 2014

White House Out With Big Report On Big Data

The White House has released a report on big data. See, “Big Data: Seizing Opportunities, Preserving Values.” The 79-page report outlines policy recommendations for the use of personal data in the commercial, education and health care sectors, say Jo-Ellyn Sakowitz Klein and Francine Friedman of Akin Gump and was requested by the President himself, who asked for a study to “examine how big data will transform the way we live and work and alter the relationships between government, citizens, businesses and consumers.” See, “White House Releases Report on Big Data,” Akin Gump.

The report starts by discussing how both public and private entities can make use of big data and minimize its risks, then discusses key questions for the development of a policy framework, such as how it alters the consumer landscape and how to protect people from discrimination enabled by this new technology.

“Although the report does not create binding law, it provides insight into the administration's priorities on a wide range of privacy and security issues, from government surveillance to data breaches,” says Jeff Kosseff of Covington & Burling. He outlines some of the key themes emerging from the report: data use versus data collection, notice and consent, predictive analytics, and law enforcement and digital discrimination. See, “Ten Key Take-Aways from the White House Big Data Report,” InsidePrivacy.

Other takeaways include the educational component of big data. Kosseff says the report recognizes the “tremendous opportunities for innovative approaches to education” but warns schools have to ensure the information gathered during them is not misused. The working group preparing the report also “sharply criticizes data brokers,” says Kosseff, drawing on the fact they're unregulated, yet their information is often used in the same way as data in regulated industries. And lastly, but most definitely not least, the report calls for a uniform national data breach notification law, he says.

' Marlisse Silver Sweeney, Law Technology News


Santa Clara Law to Offer Privacy Certificate

Come this fall, Santa Clara University School of Law students will have the option to pursue a new privacy law certificate aimed at helping them get job-market ready.

“We've been hearing from employers about the need for privacy expertise in the field,” says Eric Goldman, director of the school's High Tech Law Institute and the certificate supervisor. “Right now, there's an unusual supply-demand imbalance. “

In addition to completing coursework, the certificate requires students to publish a paper about a privacy topic, do fieldwork and get certified by the International Association of Privacy Professionals (IAPP).

The requirements are meant to signal to students what employers want to see, says Goldman, adding that there are only a small number of schools around the country that offer such certificates.

The scope of privacy law is wide-ranging, encompassing everything from the information a company captures about its users to surveillance in criminal investigations. Goldman says the main market demands are for lawyers who can advise on in-house privacy issues, know how to deal with requests from law enforcement or can litigate a case.

' Maria Zilberman, The Recorder

White House Out With Big Report On Big Data

The White House has released a report on big data. See, “Big Data: Seizing Opportunities, Preserving Values.” The 79-page report outlines policy recommendations for the use of personal data in the commercial, education and health care sectors, say Jo-Ellyn Sakowitz Klein and Francine Friedman of Akin Gump and was requested by the President himself, who asked for a study to “examine how big data will transform the way we live and work and alter the relationships between government, citizens, businesses and consumers.” See, “White House Releases Report on Big Data,” Akin Gump.

The report starts by discussing how both public and private entities can make use of big data and minimize its risks, then discusses key questions for the development of a policy framework, such as how it alters the consumer landscape and how to protect people from discrimination enabled by this new technology.

“Although the report does not create binding law, it provides insight into the administration's priorities on a wide range of privacy and security issues, from government surveillance to data breaches,” says Jeff Kosseff of Covington & Burling. He outlines some of the key themes emerging from the report: data use versus data collection, notice and consent, predictive analytics, and law enforcement and digital discrimination. See, “Ten Key Take-Aways from the White House Big Data Report,” InsidePrivacy.

Other takeaways include the educational component of big data. Kosseff says the report recognizes the “tremendous opportunities for innovative approaches to education” but warns schools have to ensure the information gathered during them is not misused. The working group preparing the report also “sharply criticizes data brokers,” says Kosseff, drawing on the fact they're unregulated, yet their information is often used in the same way as data in regulated industries. And lastly, but most definitely not least, the report calls for a uniform national data breach notification law, he says.

' Marlisse Silver Sweeney, Law Technology News


Santa Clara Law to Offer Privacy Certificate

Come this fall, Santa Clara University School of Law students will have the option to pursue a new privacy law certificate aimed at helping them get job-market ready.

“We've been hearing from employers about the need for privacy expertise in the field,” says Eric Goldman, director of the school's High Tech Law Institute and the certificate supervisor. “Right now, there's an unusual supply-demand imbalance. “

In addition to completing coursework, the certificate requires students to publish a paper about a privacy topic, do fieldwork and get certified by the International Association of Privacy Professionals (IAPP).

The requirements are meant to signal to students what employers want to see, says Goldman, adding that there are only a small number of schools around the country that offer such certificates.

The scope of privacy law is wide-ranging, encompassing everything from the information a company captures about its users to surveillance in criminal investigations. Goldman says the main market demands are for lawyers who can advise on in-house privacy issues, know how to deal with requests from law enforcement or can litigate a case.

' Maria Zilberman, The Recorder

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