EPIC Announces Privacy Threat Index

submicron writes "The Electronic Privacy Information Center or EPIC announced today a Privacy Threat Index patterned after the Office of Homeland Security's Homeland Security Threat Index. This Privacy Threat Index is intended to track the growing threat to personal privacy and present it in an easy-to-understand index. EPIC assesses the current threat level as Yellow based on events over the past year. These factors include expanded use of the Foreign Intelligence Surveilance Act, the decision of the FBI to relax the legally mandated accuracy requirement for the National Crime Information Center (NIPC) and increased funding for surveillance systems including immigration control and video surveillance."

Comments

Watch out!

[cjpez]

We're at Code Plaid! Heaven forbid we reach Code Pink-Polka-Dots!

*sigh*

Somehow...

[egoff]

...I doubt this will get much coverage on Fox News.

This is a stupid idea.

[stubear]

It was stupid when the Dept. of Homeland Security did it and it's going to be stupid when EPIC does it. Not only that but it's going to marginalize the effect EPIC might otehrwise have, placing them in the realm of fringe organizations with nothing better to do then cry wolf and claim the sky is falling. Privacy is important but there needs to be a more measured approach to solving the causes of problems instead of trying to plug a dam that merely springs a leak elsewhere.

Interesting Idea

[Hanashi]

Ok, I have to admit that my first thought was "what a publicity stunt!" But as I thought of it more and more, I grew a little more interested in this idea. Privacy issues are complex, and it's hard for any one person to really understand them all. This could be a convenient way for someone who isn't a specialist in the privacy game to keep track of how things are going, generally speaking.

I only hope that EPIC doesn't use this to "cry wolf" too often (as someone else here put it), or they'll lose their credibility. I'd also really like to see them add some factual backup to justify their alert levels. If I could click on the graphic, for example, and get a nice summary of the top several reasons for setting the alert level to it's current value, I think it would be a much more informative tool.

I've decided to go ahead and give it a try for a while to see how it works out. I've added it to the front page of my web site, InfosecBooks.com. If they do Good Things with it, I'll keep it up. If not, well, it's quite easy to delete. But for now, I'm going to give them the benefit of the doubt. Something needs to be done, so if they're going to try, I'm willing to help them out.

SNL skit on the Threat Index

[shdragon]

This reminds me of that SNL skit about the threat index...

Natural Enormous risk of terrorist attack
Bone Gigantic risk of terrorist attack
Putty Enormous risk of terrorist attack
Cream Immense risk of terrorist attack
Off-white Huge risk of terrorist attack

"Now, some of you may have noticed we used Enormous twice. This was a mistake, and we didn't have time to correct it."

WTF is it that people feel the need to spoon feed their audience? Now, I have much respect for EPIC and applaud them on their efforts to protect privacy but I am dismayed by their choice to continue the simple color chart index to promote their cause. This is a serious & complex issue that doesn't deserve to be dumbed down to green light - go, red light - stop.

Re:SNL skit on the Threat Index

[gfim]

Hang on a sec.. they're the colours of Richie Benaud's jackets.

Is this really a threat index?

[bdhein]

Unlike the the terrorist threat index, this is more a measure of what's acutally happening. Perhaps they should really be calling this the Privacy Removal Index or something of the like.

Translation of the rainbow system

[archnerd]

here.