Report: Feds Need Privacy Czar, More Oversight

The federal government should create a position for a federal privacy czar, who would oversee federal employees' information management practices and policies to ensure they do not compromise Americans' privacy, according to a report released last week by the National Research Council.

The recommendations, laid out in a 456-page report that the NRC worked on for seven years, are similar to how some European nations and Australia approach privacy protections, according to an article posted by ars technica.

The report's authors also recommend the federal government undertake a broad and deep review of all national privacy laws and regulations to find gaps in privacy protections and to determine the social and economic impacts of the laws and regulations. The report, "Engaging Privacy and Information Technology in the Digital Age," also recommends Congress to oversee agencies' outsourcing practices to private-sector companies to manage or process Americans' private information.