Just this month, the National Institute of Standards and Technology teamed up with the University of Maryland for a forum on how data can help address our national priorities. Big names from both the public and private sectors — Google, the National Institutes of Health, Lockheed Martin — were there to hear about how data can benefit the fields of health care, disaster management, security and finance.
Policymakers have a role in ensuring that this conversation stays focused on benefiting consumers and the broader economy. They should beware, however, of regulatory overreach. Any attempt to impose a fixed regulatory framework on an information technology marketplace that continues to evolve and innovate every day will hurt the consumers. Policymakers must work toward a more considered policy approach that seeks to safeguard consumers while unleashing the enormous opportunities that the data revolution is creating.
Ken Wasch is president of the Software & Information Industry Association.
Rep. Bill Cassidy has his blood drawn by Alesha Barbour during a free hepatitis screening in the Rayburn House Office Building hosted by the Congressional Viral Hepatitis Caucus to recognize "National Viral Hepatitis Testing Day."
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