President Obama vows to review big data privacy impact

Privacy groups that have pushed for controls on commercial use of consumer data see an opening as President Barack Obama tackles government surveillance reform -- and they’re hoping to hear more in the State of the Union address.

“I do think he has the opportunity to say something proactive in support of privacy, because as he himself said, you know, it’s not just about the [National Security Agency],” said Marc Rotenberg, executive director of the Electronic Privacy Information Center, about the State of the Union speech. The president’s newly expressed interest in commercial privacy is a welcome development for groups that have pressed the administration for years to tighten rules on how companies handle sensitive consumer data.