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But First, the Bill of Rights
The issue of privacy is a great concern for everyone. A survey
sponsored by Dell Computer, conducted in August 2000 by Harris Interactive, revealed that even in the more sanguine days of
Internet optimism, loss of personal privacy ranked as an issue of higher concern for Americans than the issues of crime, health
care, or the environment. Internet-connected PCs, however, are an ongoing threat to individual privacy. We'll categorize
and identify the major threats in the pages that follow and offer solutions.
The United States Constitution does not expressly list a right to privacy.
However, several of the rights that are specifically guaranteed in the "Bill of Rights," inherently assume that a privacy
right exists. ...
These laws exist for good reasons. ...
Privacy Threats Everywhere
Many different kinds of individuals and agencies seek personal information,
each using differing methods. These groups, and the methods they employ, will be examined below. ...
Government Agencies
This group could include any state or federal
agency which does not take its information management responsibilities seriously, however, the majority of privacy issues
stem from just four federal agencies; the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), National Security
Agency (NSA), and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
The IRS and CIA have both had highly publicized incidents
where they failed to safeguard the private information within their possession. ...
While the IRS and CIA may cause privacy concerns by mishandling information,
it is the information gathering methods of the NSA and FBI that sometimes places those agencies at odds with
individual privacy. ...
Copyright (c) 2004 Ziff Davis Media Inc. All Rights Reserved.
