National security, individual privacy and public access to government-held information: the need for changing perspectives in a global environment

Abstract

Governments are often the largest collectors of data within their jurisdiction, and often that data collection and storage is financially supported with public taxes. How governments manage and make available that information when requested by non-government parties varies by country. As the data-sharing world finds new and multi-platform ways to network, variations in legal access to government-held information create both opportunities and challenges. In this article, recent research is reviewed on problems faced by legal systems trying to navigate conflicts between individual privacy, public access and national state security.