Policy aspects of privacy and access

Abstract

Abstract This paper first reviews the development of record‐keeping privacy, together with its legislative attention and major studies of it. It then identifies new dimensions of personal privacy and illustrates them with electronic mail. It notes the intricacy of policy issues arising from large‐scale use of computers and communications for systems that provide a variety of services, many of them oriented toward the individual. The legislative awkwardness of providing protection to the individual and the role of the federal government in the entire issue is described. Other systems that will create new privacy issues are touched on. The “privacy future” is discussed in terms of access‐without‐action, information representation, information protection, exploitation of information such as computer matching, the large‐scale availability of personal information to many people, and the widespread appearance of systems that deal with information about people but for other than record‐keeping purposes. Finally, two broad policy issues are identified: (1) In an information‐intensive future, how can the country establish societally acceptable usage patterns for information but at the same time provide protection for its citizens? (2) How can the country create an appropriate mechanism for addressing such a pervasive and complex issue?