Edith Ramirez, Federal Trade Commission Chair, said the agency is concerned about privacy and Big Data at a conference in Menlo Park Tuesday put on by the Internet Association.
There continues to be a continuous lack of transparency from what is going on and consumers losing control of their information, Ramirez told Nicole Wong, the former White House deputy chief technology officer, who was interviewing Ramirez.
Ramirez called out data brokers and the dangers of algorithms to stereotype people. Algorithms can come with embedded assumptions that lead to adverse impacts, that reinforce inequality, she said. For example, algorithms can direct certain services to some students who the algorithms think are more likely to go to college, leaving out students who might also benefit from the information.
The agency is concerned about algorithmic transparency, she said, and how algorithms can be manipulated.
Wong asked about connected health devices.
We are very concerned about this, Ramirez said, adding:
There is this flow of health information that is happening outside of the regulatory space. We want to make sure that very sensitive information is being protected.
Ramirez spoke about the recent data ruling by Europe s highest court, which invalidated the European Union s data-sharing agreement with the United States. Everyone understands how the ruling affects the business community and we are trying to move as quickly as we can to find a way forward, she said.
Above: Nicole Wong, the former chief technology officer at the White House, interviews Edith Ramirez, chair of the Federal Trade Commission, at an Internet Association conference in Menlo Park on Oct. 13, 2015.
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