Recently, the Office of the National Intelligence Director announced a report that revealed the problem of large -scale acquisitions and retaining domestic personal data in the United States. The report states that these intelligence units lack supervision and standards when obtaining and using personal data. Although the report was completed in February 2022, it has only been partially decomposed so far, and the author’s identity of the report has been deleted.
The report pointed out that over -depending on the data purchased in the market pose a threat to the people. These personal data may include sensitive information such as individual characteristics, private behavior, and social relationships about someone, which are not only suitable for American citizens, but also for non -American. The abuse of these personal data may lead to infringing personal privacy, destroying personal reputation, causing emotional distress, and even threatening personal security. Even under moderate control, the ability of intelligence agencies to use their powers to spy people’s private life is sufficient to surpass the constitutional tradition and social norms.
According to current laws, government agencies must bypass heavy laws before obtaining the court permit to collect national personal data. However, private companies have not been subject to similar legal constraints in the acquisition, packaging and sale of personal data. Therefore, the sensitive personal data market is booming, and intelligence agencies can easily purchase these data, which is simple and convenient.
The report also pointed out that in order to facilitate the performance of their duties, intelligence agencies need to be a large number of “market sales”, including data available on social media. The report lists examples of several government agencies that are considering or signing contracts with private companies to obtain personal data. For example, the Department of Intelligence Bureau of the Ministry of National Defense signed a contract with Lexisnexis; the Navy cooperated with the Sharry Analysis Company to provide personal data from the government sanctions; Social media warning information.
The report also mentioned that the Ministry of Land and Safety used the academic research report exchange platform of Science Network to review foreign researchers in the United States to determine whether they were related to their national military. At the same time, the Central Intelligence Bureau is studying and formulating the use of “commercial personal capital” criteria. The report also pointed out that foreign intelligence agencies also purchased personal data of Americans from these companies. Therefore, personal privacy threats are not limited to the US government.
The release of this report aroused concerns about personal privacy. Although intelligence agencies may need to obtain a certain amount of personal data in their duties, they must establish strict regulatory mechanisms and standards to ensure the legitimate acquisition and proper use of data, while protecting personal privacy and data security.
In the digital age, the protection of personal data is a global challenge that requires the joint efforts of the government, enterprises and society. Governments of various countries should strengthen the formulation of relevant laws and regulations and establish effective regulatory agencies to ensure the legal, transparent and responsible use of personal data. At the same time, private companies should also assume social responsibilities and formulate strict data protection policies and measures to ensure that users’ personal data is not abused or leaked.
Protecting personal privacy is an important human rights issue. The collection and use of any person’s data should abide by laws and regulations and protect personal rights and interests on the premise of ensuring national security. While pursuing intelligence collection and security, ensuring that the protection of personal privacy should be a topic for the government and society.
