PC World: A White House-ordered privacy
review group will focus its attention on the private sector's
use of data, rather than the government's, according to the
group's leader. By focusing on companies, the group hopes
to "get a more holistic view of the state of the
technology," John Podesta, White House counselor, said on
March 3 at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Podesta
was charged with leading the government review of "big
data" earlier this year, as President Obama announced plans to reform government
surveillance programs. Monday's event was the first of three
university-based events being co-hosted by Podesta's review
group. The review group has roughly three months to produce a
report analyzing the state of "big data" practices,
predict future uses and determine how well current policies fit
with those practices and uses. Although the review was
announced as the president focused on reforming government
surveillance practices, including at the
