http://www.internetnews.com/ent-news/article.php/3357731May 21, 2004
Democrats Call for Privacy Czar
By Roy Mark
Democrats on the U.S. House Select Committee on Homeland Security are calling for the re-establishment of a national privacy czar as part of their SHIELD Act initiative introduced Thursday.
The bill would create a chief privacy officer appointed by the president to assure that the technologies procured and used by the government "do not erode privacy protections relating to the use, collection, and disclosure of personally identifiable information."
Known as the Strengthening Homeland Innovation by Ensuring Liberty, Democracy and Privacy (SHIELD) Act, the legislation also mandates that each federal and independent agency in the executive branch appoint a senior official to assume primary responsibility for privacy policy.
"It would be a hollow victory to win the War on Terror at the cost of our own democratic values, and that's why this bill is so important -- it will keep federal agencies focused on civil liberties and ensure that law-abiding citizens' rights are respected," bill sponsor Kendrick B. Meek (D-Fla.) said in a statement.
-more-