2007 Data Mining Report: DHS Privacy Office Response to House Report 109-699

Citation:2007 Data Mining Report: DHS Privacy Office Response to House Report 109-699 (July 6, 2007).

On July 6, 2007, the DHS Privacy Office published its second report on DHS data mining activities (the "2007 Report"). The 2007 Report described DHS activities that met the definition of data mining required by H.R. 109-699. It discussed the Privacy Office’s initial efforts to promote implementation of the 2006 Report’s recommendations in DHS data mining programs. The Privacy Office also stated its interest in holding a public workshop to explore appropriate privacy protections for DHS data mining activities, including the use of anonymization tools.

On February 11, 2008, the Privacy Office issued a Letter Report Pursuant to Section 804 of the Implementing Recommendations of the 9/11 Commission Act of 2007 (“Letter Report”), which included a brief discussion of relevant DHS data mining activities, with the understanding that a comprehensive report would follow. The Letter Report reiterated the Office’s interest in holding a public workshop to discuss the privacy impacts of government data mining, to identify ways of validating data mining models, and to showcase technology tools that could both enhance privacy] and support [[data mining research.