Ex-NSA Official Inglis Warns Tech Firms: Be Transparent

To a degree shared by few, John Inglis knows the risks of collecting a lot of data on people. Until January, Inglis, who goes by "Chris," was the number-two official at the National Security Agency. He spent much of 2013 pushing back against disclosures from former contractor Edward Snowden about the extent of NSA surveillance.

Now, the former NSA deputy director is warning technology companies that amass vast amounts of personal information to learn from his agency's mistakes. Be transparent about what they collect, and why they collect it, Inglis said.

"There's an enormous amount of data held in the private sector," Inglis said, in his first published interview since leaving government. "There might be some concerns not just on the part of the American public, but the international public."