[Infowarrior] - Big Sis: Drudge is 'just wrong' on privacy

[Richard Forno]

September 06, 2011

http://www.politico.com/blogs/joshgerstein/0911/Janet_Napolitano_Drudge_is_just_wrong_on_privacy.html


Janet Napolitano: Drudge is 'just wrong' on privacy

Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano is calling out web news aggregator Matt Drudge for suggesting that she's an ogre eager to invade the privacy of Americans and in particular those who travel by air.

"I think my nickname is 'Big Sis.' I don't think he means it kindly, actually," Napolitano said Tuesday, accurately recalling the moniker that often accompanies scary-looking photos of her on Drudge's popular news site.

"I think that what he means is we are watching too much—kind of an Orwellian view. He's just wrong. I mean, he's just wrong," Napolitano declared during a POLITICO Playbook breakfast at the Newseum. She said the privacy impact of new airport screening technology and similar programs are thoroughly vetted before they are implemented.

"We want to be conscious of civil liberties and civil rights protections—and we are," Napolitano insisted. "We don't do anything without kind of running it through our own civil rights and privacy office. We're one of only two departments in the federal government that actually has a presidentially-appointed privacy office and officer."

(While Obama did name a privacy officer for the Department of Homeland Security, the president has so far failed to nominate a quorum for a Congressionally-mandated oversight board to track civil liberties issues government-wide.)

"We run all of our programs our technology buys all of those kinds of things we think about privacy and when too much is too much, but on the other hand our responsibility is to maximize our ability to prevent something violent from being successful. So we're always striking that balance but we think we've hit it pretty right," she said.

Napolitano said full-body airport scanners are becoming more respectful of privacy: where previous versions showed a detailed outline of the body passing through the machine, the new generation simply shows a stick figure with an indication of what area of the body may require further checking.

The Homeland Security chief called privacy concerns "overblown" and offered praise for the proliferation of surveillance cameras in some big U.S. cities. "They are a very, very helpful methodology, particularly in areas where we know there are constant threats," she said. During the discussion with POLITICO's Mike Allen, Napolitano said the requirement that air travelers take their shoes off could soon be history, while the limits on taking liquids on board will be around for a while.

The DHS chief seemed to take her "Big Sis" nickname with good humor. "It's kind of a deal. You know you've made it when you get your own nickname.

Asked if she has a nickname for Drudge, Napolitano replied mischievously. "Maybe," she replied, before demurring by saying, "I think we should try to keep our discussion at a high level."