Editor, AFR: In ‘Big data airport screening given ok’ (David Ramli, 5 November 2012), the headline misrepresents the position of the Australian Privacy Foundation by suggesting that the APF endorses ‘Big Data’ for traveller screening.
In interview, Vice-Chair David Vaile expressed serious reservations about ‘Big Data’ methods for data mining of personal information, especially their fundamental hostility to the letter and spirit of
the Privacy Principles. These restrict the use of personal information to the purpose for which it was necessary and was collected, rather than everything that an opportunistic ‘Big Data’ warehouse enables.
One of many problems is the generation of suspicion by an algorithm
that is not understood and that can’t be cross-examined. Another
issue is the reluctance of government agencies to acknowledge the
risks to individuals, and to consult with advocacy organisations on
how to manage and mitigate the harm.
In addition, in a posting on the (open) privacy discussion list, Chair Roger Clarke criticised the Department for its abuse of visitors’ rights: “Of the people who arrive in Australia and are pulled out of the line for heavy questioning, only 4-5% are sent back [where they came from], i.e. 95% are allowed to proceed. And the Dept is congratulating itself for getting that down from [an error rate of 49 out of 50 interceptions]! The kind of profiling that DIAC use is an extremely rough weapon, and always will be”.
– Roger Clarke and David Vaile,
Chair and Vice-Chair,
Australian Privacy Foundation