The next big national intelligence debate

[Commentary] We can debate whether government access to our phone records and web data is making us safer or obliterating our civil liberties. But the reality is that in the tech era, which we have already entered, what we used to think of as privacy is becoming a relic. Before we know it, products like Google Glass will record everything we see and hear. Expect cameras and sensors to be everywhere in public places and office buildings and on drones. Face recognition technology will identify and track us. There will be all sorts of data collected about us from many sources.

The real debate we need to have centers around what is being done with these data. We will readily allow Google to track our searches, learn our likes and dislikes, and incorporate the advice of our friends so that it can recommend where we travel or what restaurants we choose. But should these data also be used to market to us? Should Google be allowed to share our data with third parties—and governments? And then the bigger question: how do we reign in government? We can’t stop the gathering of data, but we can surely limit its use. We can also put limits on the time that tech companies and governments are allowed to keep these data.

That is the real battle that needs to be fought.