Letting a robber guard the bank

In a move that is apparently supposed to make people concerned about their privacy being violated feel more at ease with the work of the Homeland Security department, a new "privacy czar" has been appointed.  The Bush administration is known for making odd appointments, from putting Admiral John Poindexter in charge of the "Total Information Awareness" program to making John Ashcroft the Attorney General.  This one, though, almost managed to defy belief.

The new Homeland Security privacy czar is a former executive from Doubleclick - an online advertising firm that has been roundly criticized for their continued efforts to make as much money from gathering demographic information as possible and showing little, if any, regard for the privacy rights of individuals.

O'Connor Kelly's appointment comes as the Bush administration is under fire for data-mining plans like Total Information Awareness and CAPPS II, which profiles airline passengers. When debating the creation of the department last year, Congress required that the secretary appoint an official to ensure that new technologies sustain privacy protections and to verify that the agency's massive databases operate within federal guidelines.

I suppose it could be argued that an executive from a company that has seemingly broken ground in the various ways someone's privacy can be invaded is likely to know most of the various tricks used to do so, and as such, can help better safeguard people's privacy from the government.  For some reason, though, I don't find that idea very comforting.

Link via Secular Blasphemy