Policy - Data & Privacy

ITI works to encourage governments around the world -- including the U.S. Government -- to develop policies that foster innovation and growth, yet at the same time, advance individual expectations of privacy.

ITI's Framework to Advance Interoperable Rules (FAIR) on Privacy offers a roadmap that advances the privacy rights of consumers and defines the responsibilities of companies in using personal data while continuing to enable the innovations that transform lives. The framework includes specific recommendations that give consumers more control and a clearer understanding about how their personal data is used. It also includes measures to promote security and hold companies accountable to ensure companies use personal data responsibly and transparently.

On October 10, 2014, ITI joined twelve industry associations in providing input to NIST on the agency's privacy engineering initiative.

On March 27, 2014, ITI provided comments to the White House's Office of Science and Technology Policy in connection with the administration's big data review. In our comments, we discuss the capabilities and benefits of large-scale data analytics, and the importance of fully understanding the potential of big data when considering the extent to which existing policy frameworks address big data privacy considerations. In our comments, we include a discussion of privacy risk-mitigation mechanisms that can be utilized in connection with large-scale data analytics. We also stress the importance of cross-border data flows to realize the potential of large-scale data analytics and we urge the administration to continue its efforts to minimize barriers to cross-border data flows.

On February 4, 2014, Dean Garfield testified before the U.S. House Judiciary Committee regarding FISA reform. Read his testimony here.

On January 16, 2014, ITI and SIIA released a set of global principles intended to apply to government collection of private sector data from commercial entities. The seven Global Principles include a call for greater transparency, appropriate oversight, and enhanced multi-national dialogue among all governments engaged in surveillance activities.

In 2013, ITI submitted three sets of comments to the administration relating to U.S. surveillance activities:

August 20 Comments to the White House

October 3 Comments to the Review Group on Intelligence and Communications Technology

October 24 Submission to the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board