Overcollection
“[The] dragnet collection of millions of Americans’ phone records every day – whether they have any connection to terrorism – goes far beyond what Congress envisioned or intended to authorize....Congress did not enact FISA and the PATRIOT Act to give the government boundless surveillance powers that could sweep in the data of countless innocent Americans. If all of our phone records are relevant to counterterrorism investigations, what else could be?”
DESCRIPTION
Surveillance technology is evolving quickly. New tools are giving government agencies the ability to collect more data than ever before. Without a thorough and current understanding of these technologies, they may inadvertently collect more than they intend. Without appropriate policies and oversight, overcollection can threaten civil liberties.
Some tools, by their very design, collect data indiscriminately. Automated license plate readers, for example, photograph and scan every passing car. This has the potential to create a government record of where hundreds, even thousands, of innocent individuals are at a given point in time, even when law enforcement agencies are investigating a specific target. These devices can be configured to store only data that matches a specific suspect, which can make the system more efficient and cost-effective while helping to protect civil liberties.
In other cases, the surveillance programs themselves are the cause of data overcollection. Perhaps the most famous example of this is the National Security Administration’s bulk telephone records collection program. For years the agency gathered the phone records of millions of innocent Americans without specifying a target of investigation. They built a haystack to find a needle, and created an immense database of information about private personal communications in the process.
More often than not, surveillance programs are launched without considering data overcollection. This has exposed both agencies and the general public to unnecessary risks to security and privacy.
Examples of Use
Recommendations
When government agencies consider acquiring and using surveillance systems, communities and their elected officials must both weigh the benefits against the costs to civil liberties and carefully craft policies and procedures that help to limit the negative effects that surveillance will have on fundamental rights. For a useful list of considerations, please visit the recommendations page.