In its charter document, the subcommittee said it would build on the prior work of the Commercial Data Privacy Interagency Coordinating Committee, as well as Commerce’s Internet Policy Task Force and the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection.
Earlier in the year, the Internet Policy Task Force sought public comments as part of its comprehensive review of the nexus between privacy policy and innovation in the internet economy. Based on the comments, the task force expects to issue a report on the topic.
In the white paper, the subcommittee, which is part of the White House’s National Science and Technology Council’s Committee on Technology, will focus on cross-border privacy challenges posed by the cloud computing environment, examine the role of governments in fostering IT innovation and efficiency, and explore research opportunities in developing new privacy tools.
In addition, the subcommittee will develop general principles defining an internet policy framework for both domestic and international policy arenas. The principles will cover a range of internet policy issues, including cybersecurity and intellectual property protection. It will also be the White House clearinghouse for statements on privacy and internet policy.
“The Subcommittee will develop strategies for advancing these privacy and internet policy principles and will be the focal point for interagency coordination implementation efforts, such as the CIO Council Privacy Committee. The Subcommittee will consider and encourage developing best practices in information architecture, data management, and overall privacy policy frameworks,” according to the charter.
Cameron Kerry, general counsel at Commerce, and Christopher Schroeder, assistant attorney general at the Justice Department, are the co-chairs of the subcommittee. Other agencies represented on the subcommittee include the Departments of Education, Energy, Health and Human Services, Homeland Security, State, Transportation, Treasury, as well as the Small Business Administration.
In addition, the White House’s Domestic Policy Council, National Economic Council, National Security Council, Office of Management and Budget, the Office of Science and Technology Policy, and the US Trade Representative will participate in the subcommittee. The Federal Trade Commission and Federal Communications Communication will serve in an advisory capacity.
In announcing the subcommittee’s launch, the White House said:
“Recognizing the global nature of the digital economy and society, the Subcommittee will monitor and address global privacy policy challenges and develop approaches to meeting those challenges through coordinated U.S. government action. The Subcommittee is committed to fostering dialogue and cooperation between our Nation and its key trading partners in support of flexible and robust privacy and innovation policies. Such policies are essential to the health of competitive marketplaces for online goods and services."
Commenting on the new subcommittee, Jeffrey Chester, executive director of privacy advocacy group the Center for Digital Democracy, told the Washington Post: “Up until now, the White House and executive branch has been on the sidelines on this issue but a concern is that key U.S. companies, like Google, are core to the Obama administration. The fear is that this could be an attempt by the White House to control issues for special interests, including the Obama campaign, and not consumers at large.”