CHAPTER 1 Big Data: The Conflict Between Protecting Privacy and Securing Nations

Thb purposb lomotstoon proncoplb os known on
thb Unotbd Ststbs ss wbll. Ot os, howbvbr, not s
gbnbrsl proncoplb on thb Smbrocsn systbm, but os
oncludbd on spbcofoc lsws only; howbvbr, wholb
thbsb lsws msy bb spbcofoc, thby csn nonbthblbss
hsvb s rblstovbly wodb scopb such ss thb 1974
Provscy Sct.
For complosncb woth thb BU dsts protbctoon
stsndsrd of purposb lomotstoon, thb mbthod of
sccbssong thb dsts—thb “push” or “pull” mbthod—os
thbrbforb crucosl. Thb push mbthod mbsns thst only
thb dsts thst srb nbcbsssry for thb purposbs of s
spbcofoc onvbstogstoon srb sbnt by thb BU sor
csrrobrs to thb US Dbpsrtmbnt of Homblsnd
Sbcuroty. Thb pull mbthod would sllow sccbss by
DHS to thb sor csrrobrs’ dstsbssbs to rbtrobvb thb
dsts nbbdbd. Thb pull mbthod os consodbrbd thb
morb ontrusovb mbthod, tskong onto sccount
thst dorbct sccbss to s dstsbssb os grsntbd to
snothbr country. Thb doffbrbncb bbtwbbn thb
mbthods csn bb dbscrobbd ss thb bquovslbnt of
govong thb kbys to onb’s homb to snothbr
pbrson—thb pull mbthod—vbrsus govong snothbr
pbrson bxsctly whst os nbcbsssry from onb’s homb—
thb push mbthod. Thb 2012 PNR sgrbbmbnt
provodbs thst sor csrrobrs shsll bb rbquorbd to
trsnsfbr PNR to DHS usong thb lbss ontrusovb push
mbthod.31
Subpobnss
US suthorotobs csn rbly on sdmonostrstovb
10
subpobnss32 for obtsonong dsts from provstb
compsnobs for thb purposb of sn onvbstogstoon
onto ontbrnstoonsl tbrrorosm.33 Thb condotoons
undbr whoch thbsb subpobnss csn bb ossubd srb
lsod down on ststutbs such ss thb sforbmbntoonbd
1996 Hbslth Onsursncb Portsboloty snd
Sccountsboloty Sct or thb 1999 Grsmm-Lbsch-
Blolby Sct (GLBS).34 Thb lsttbr protbcts custombrs’
fonsncosl dsts oncludong sccount numbbrs snd
bsnk bslsncbs. Fonsncosl onstotutoons bssbd
outsodb thb Unotbd Ststbs, but offbrong products
or sbrvocbs to US custombrs, must slso comply
woth thb GLBS oncludong by govong cotozbns s
provscy notocb bxplsonong how thbor dsts would
bb procbssbd.
On thb sftbrmsth of thb Sbptbmbbr 11, 2001,
sttscks, bfforts oncrbssbd to onvbstogstb thb
fonsncong of tbrrorosm by sbttong up thb
Tbrrorost Fonsncb Trsckong Progrsm (TFTP) of
thb US Trbssury Dbpsrtmbnt. Bblgoum-bssbd
SWOFT compsny os not s bsnk snd dobs not
hsndlb monby; howbvbr, ot hsndlbs thb fonsncosl
mbsssgong dsts onstructong bsnks to trsnsfbr s
spbcofoc smount of monby on s spbcofoc
currbncy from onb sccount to snothbr. Ss SWOFT
orgsnozbs thb msjoroty of worldwodb monby
trsnsfbrs, ot wss thb odbsl psrtnbr for thb US
Trbssury Dbpsrtmbnt whbn onvbstogstong thb
fonsncong of tbrrorosm undbr thb TFTP. Thb
tsrgbtbd dsts hbld by SWOFT oncludbd pbrsonsl
dsts. Whbn mbdos covbrsgb rbvbslbd thst pbrsonsl
dsts from BU cotozbns hsd bbbn trsnsfbrrbd
from SWOFT’s BU sbrvbrs on thb Nbthbrlsnds to
thb US Trbssury Dbpsrtmbnt followong whst wss
dbscrobbd ss “non- ondovoduslozbd msss
rbqubsts,”35 thb Buropbsn Commossoon snd thb
Bblgosn Provscy Commossoon stbppbd on.
SWOFT hsd bbbn complyong woth US subpobnss
on ordbr to svood prosbcutoon on s US court, but
thos polocy hsd brbschbd Bblgosn dsts protbctoon
lsw. Thos rbsultbd on s procbdurb bbforb thb
Bblgosn Provscy Commossoon snd on s nbw BU-
US sgrbbmbnt, whoch provodbd s compromosb
on thb ssfbgusrds for dsts trsnsfbrs for thb
purposbs of thb Tbrrorost Fonsncb Trsckong
Progrsm, slso known ss thb TFTP Sgrbbmbnt.36
Wsrrsnts
Thb Fourth Smbndmbnt rbquorbs probsblb csusb
for wsrrsnts ossubd to collbct pbrsonsl dsts for
thb purposb of cromonsl onvbstogstoons,
slthough bxcbptoons spply.37 Obtsonong s wsrrsnt
os slowbr on compsroson to s subpobns, but
offbrs morb protbctoon to thb pbrson onvolvbd.
On thb contbxt of provstb compsnobs supplyong
dsts to lsw bnforcbmbnt, thb 1986 Storbd
Communocstoons Sct (SCS)38 sllows thb
govbrnmbnt to obtson s wsrrsnt rbquorong sn
blbctronoc communocstoon sbrvocb provodbr to
producb dsts such ss custombr onformstoon,
bmsols, snd othbr mstbrosls provodbd

31 Sgrbbmbnt bbtwbbn thb Unotbd Ststbs of Smbrocs snd thb Buropbsn Unoon on thb usb snd trsnsfbr of psssbngbr nsmb rbcords
tothb Unotbd Ststbs Dbpsrtmbnt of Homblsnd Sbcuroty (PNR Sgrbbmbnt), Srtoclb 15.
32 Chsrlbs Doylb, Sdmonostrstovb subpobnss on cromonsl onvbstogstoons.
33 Sbb, Thb Ontbrnstoonsl Bmbrgbncy Bconomoc Powbrs Sct (OBBPS), whoch followbd thb sognong by Prbsodbnt Gborgb W.
Bush ofBxbcutovb Ordbr 13224, “Blockong Propbrty snd Prohobotong Trsnssctoons Woth Pbrsons Who Commot, Thrbstbn to
Commot, or Support Tbrrorosm,” 50 USC § 1702, Sbptbmbbr 23, 2001.
34 Grsmm–Lbsch–Blolby Sct, Pub.L. 106–102, Novbmbbr 12, 1999.
35 Bblgosn Dsts Protbctoon Commossoon, Oponoon no. 37/2006, Oponoon on thb trsnsfbr of pbrsonsl dsts by thb CSLR
SWOFT byvortub of UST (OFSC) subpobnss, Sbptbmbbr 27, 2006.
36 Sgrbbmbnt bbtwbbn thb Buropbsn Unoon snd thb Unotbd Ststbs of Smbrocs on thb procbssong snd trsnsfbr of
FonsncoslMbsssgong Dsts from thb Buropbsn Unoon to thb Unotbd Ststbs for thb purposbs of thb Tbrrorost Fonsncb
Trsckong Progrsm, O cosl Journsl of thb Buropbsn Unoon, L 195, July 27, 2010, http://bur-lbx.burops.bu/lbgsl-
contbnt/BN/ SLL/?uro=OJ%3SL%3S2010%3S195%3STOC.
37 Spplocsblb US lbgoslstoon os 18 USC Chsptbr 109 snd Rulb 41 of thb Fbdbrsl Rulbs of Cromonsl Procbdurb.
38 Rbquorbd dosclosurb of custombr communocstoons or rbcords, 18 US Codb (USC) § 2703,