Privacy and Information
Chapter 2



Computers and Government
? Thousands of government offices and departments exist
? All use computers in some manner
Most common uses
? Data collection and maintenance
? Research
? Code breaking
? Defense
? and?...



List some uses
?   ....... 





? Great American Website
? FedWorld.gov



Big Brother
? More than 2000 government databases exist
? We leave many data trails to facilitate the collection of information
? Government pushes their rights to protect ours



Law Enforcement
? National Crime Information Center
? Help law-enforcement agencies share info to catch criminals
? Benefits
? any agency can access records
? lots of info available
? criminal histories
? info on existing warrants
? easy for intrastate usage



Law Enforcement
? Problems
? lack of control of entry
? lack of control of usage
? ease of access by employees
? Abuse of power 
? Invasion of privacy
? Inaccuracy



National ID Cards
? Multi-purpose cards
? Smart card - microprocessor and memory
? used when interacting with governments and banks, medical


Benefits
? Need to actual card to verify identity
? Harder to forge
? Carry only one card
? Reduces fraud
? Prevents illegal work



Civilian applications of government technologies
? Economic espionage
? Sharing of technology between law enforcement and other agencies
? Military surveillance technology used in civilian applications



Threats to Privacy
? Government has
? wide scope of activities
? large amount a data available
? power to require us to provide information
? ability to use and misuse databases


Computers have facilitated....
? the collection of data
? analysis of data
? storage of data
? access of data
? distribution of data
? Reasons - speed and anonymity
? Internet has broadened access to information


Database
? Program to help you store, manage, and analyze your data
? fields
? records


Databases
? See page 39
? What are some not in lists?



Other Databases
? Employee ID scanners
? Prescription drugs
? Bank machines
? Cellular phone calls
? Browsing on Net - cookies
? Sweepstakes
? Satellites
? Credit cards
? Supermarket scanners
? Electronic tolls
? Mail-order transactions
? E-mail


Public records
? DMV
? Voter registration
? Birth and death certificates
? Marriage certificates
? Property records
? Court records
? Divorce records
? Arrest records
? Postal address records




Confidential Records
? Social welfare information
? Tax information
? School records
? Public library records
? Criminal history
? Health records


Internet and data collection
? Cookies
? Search engines - quicker more available info
? open ended nature of net - no rules to define what is personal info
? newsgroup, chat rooms, e-mail remains available for years


Purposes of Record Systems
? Help agencies perform their functions efficiently
? Determine eligibility for government job
? Determine eligibility for benefits programs
? Detect fraud
? Recover payments of delinquent debt


Acquisition of Data
? Census
? Surveillance
? Identification
? Networking



Methods Used
? Computer matching
? Combining and comparing information from different databases
? Computer profiling
? using data in computer files to determine characteristics of people most likely to engage in a certain behavior


Data Mining
? Analyze to perform data profiles
? Create from customer files than matches are made
? Businesses and governments keep records and sell them


Data Mining Results
? Analysis of data for relationships that have not been discovered
? Associations
? one event can be correlated to another
? Sequences
? One event leads to another
? Classification
? Recognition of patterns resulting in new organizations


Data Mining Results Continued
? Clustering
? Finding and visualizing groups of facts not previously known
? Forcasting
? Discovering patterns in the data that can lead to predictions about the future


Data Mining Uses
? Target customers
? Advertise to current customers
? Manipulate markets
? Select, monitor, and control employees


Most common tool
Social security number


Social Security Number
? Major use for identification
? Linked to
? banking data
? credit report
? driving record
? earnings history
? work history
? .......


Credit Bureaus
? Provide a central storehouse of information used to evaluate applicants for credit
? data supplied by banks, stores, and other businesses
? Public records - lawsuits, liens, bankruptcies


Regulation of Credit Bureaus
? Regulated by federal government
? Fair Credit Reporting Act
? can give information to employers, government, and insurance companies, and those who need it for legitimate purposes involving customer
? VAGUE?


Proposed Changes
? Legal right to get a copy of their own report for free, and a list of those who have requested it
? Prohibit employers from obtaining reports without person's permission
? or at all except for special kinds of jobs


Medical Records
? Data is personal and sensitive
? Used for marketing purposes
? Hard to restrict due to varying laws in different states
? Insurance benefits require that we tell all



Medical Information Bureau
? Non profit organization
? Founded by insurance companies
? Deter insurance fraud
? Collect information


Privacy and Proposals for Health Care Reform
? Creation of government database containing health and personal info
? Requirement that a report on every medical visit be sent to a national network
? Requirement for national ID card


Benefits of Reform
? Access to information when traveling
? Ease of researchers to get information
? Cheaper record systems
? Provide better privacy protection than private health care providers



Problems with Reform
? Threat to privacy
? Abuse of information made possible by large data bases and ID cards
? Errors could prevent medical care
? Easier access by law enforcement
? SSN is used as identifier - broad use


Technical and Management Protections
? Each authorized user has unique ID code and password
? Restrict operations of different users in areas where they do not need to go
? Use audit trail to track usage by workers
? Computer records reduce handling and potential reading


Do we need computers to invade someone's privacy?
Risks due to databases
? Unauthorized use by people who maintain them
? Access from intruders
? Mishandling
? Errors and potential problems
? Intentional uses


Creep Phenomenon
If information is collected, it will probably be used for many purposes that were not intended when the project started


Biometrics
? Verification through unique physical characteristics
? little fraud
? fingerprints
? DNA
? hand geometry
? facial recognition
? facial thermography