WASHINGTON (May 7, 2013) – The Information Technology and Innovation Foundation (ITIF) commends the White House for its anticipated selection of Nicole Wong as a senior White House advisor for Internet and privacy policy. The proposed position would work with the U.S. Chief Technology Officer to oversee privacy operations and advise the President on a host of pressing issues regarding information sharing, data innovation and the digital economy. Wong is currently the legal director for Twitter and former Deputy General Counsel at Google.
“We are pleased to see that the White House has tapped someone for this new role with a background in the tech sector and experience protecting individuals’ personal information from overly broad law enforcement requests,” says Daniel Castro, Senior Analyst with ITIF. “It is our hope that Ms. Wong will use her new position to advocate for sensible privacy policies that foster, rather than hinder, innovation.”
ITIF has noted a number of concrete steps that Congress and the Administration can take in the short term to protect both privacy and innovation:
•Reforming ECPA so data in the cloud is treated the same as data on a PC.
•Developing a privacy R&D roadmap.
•Creating a data policy office in the Department of Commerce that focuses on maximizing the benefits of data-driven innovation.
“The digital economy provides a tremendous benefit to society as a whole,” Castro adds. “By addressing privacy in the context of innovation we can ensure the continued growth and success of the sector moving forward.”
