“In response to a request from the White House, EPIC has submitted extensive comments on “Big Data and the Future of Privacy.” EPIC warned the White House about the enormous risk to Americans of current “big data” practices but also made clear that problems are not new, citing the Privacy Act of 1974 which responded to the challenges of “data banks.” EPIC noted the dramatic increases in identity theft and security breaches. EPIC called for the swift enactment of the Consumer Privacy Bill of Rights and the end of opaque algorithmic profiling. EPIC wrote “It is vitally important to update current privacy laws to minimize collection, secure the information that is collected, and prevent abuses of predictive analytics.” EPIC and more than 20 organizations previously urged the White to establish privacy protections for user data that is being gather by large companies and government agencies. A report from the White House is expected on April 17. For more information, see EPIC: Big Data and the Future of Privacy“