President Obama Stresses Need to Monitor Data in Fighting Terrorism

The trans-Atlantic debate over digital privacy rights versus the surveillance needs of intelligence agencies was put under a spotlight April 25, as President Barack Obama called for continued access by law enforcement officials to thwart terrorism, while some European privacy advocates urged greater restraint. “I want to say this to young people who value their privacy and spend a lot of time on their phones: The threat of terrorism is real,” President Obama said, speaking at a trade show in Hanover, Germany. “I’ve worked to reform our surveillance programs to ensure that they’re consistent with the rule of law and upholding our values, like privacy — and, by the way, we include the privacy of people outside of the United States,” he added.

President Obama’s message comes at a sensitive time, as cities like Brussels and Paris are still recovering from recent terrorist attacks. But his words are unlikely to slow down European efforts to expand people’s control over their digital lives. Europe is at the heart of a global debate over the way companies like Google and Facebook, as well as national intelligence agencies, handle people’s digital data. Some regulators in the 28-member bloc have called on companies and governments, particularly that of the United States, to comply with the region’s tough privacy regulations.