Privacy Issues

As we use technology more and more, the issue of privacy comes to the forefront. Is all of the information we are passing through these various technical devices protected? Not likely. We want to feel like no one is getting into our business, but the truth is we cannot be sure. There are various privacy laws that are supposed to protect us as individuals. For instance, section 552a of the U.S. Code refers to records maintained on individuals. This link comes from the Cornell University Law school Legal Information Institute and reflects the laws passed by congress as of January 5, 2009. The conditions of disclosure states "No agency shall disclose any record which is contained in a system of records by any means of communication to any person, or to another agency, except pursuant to a written request by, or with the prior written consent of, the individual to whom the record pertains..." This section of the U.S. Code also mentions access to records, rights of legal guardians, and criminal penalties.

But what about privacy when it comes to electronic communications? The Electronic Communications Privacy Act addresses this issue. This act talks about things such as unlawful access to stored communications, wrongful disclosure of video tape rental or sale records, mobile tracking devices, and prohibition on pen register and trap and trace device use. What is a pen register or a trap and trace device? A pen register is an electronic device that records all numbers dialed from a particular phone line (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pen_register). A trap and trace device is similar to the pen register but is used to record and trace all communication signals from a telecommunication system (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trap_and_trace_device). It is scary to think that anyone would do this, but in 2006 the federal government tracked American phone calls, according to TimesOnline. ABC News said that "phone calls made by its reporters and journalists at the New York Times and Washington Post are being traced by the federal government as part of an investigation into leaks of classified information," as reported in New York The Sun. Do you think this is okay if its purpose is to ultimately protect us?

The question becomes where to draw the line. How far is too far? I mean, we shouldn't be doing anything bad anyways, right? So why should we be afraid if someone tracks a phone call? However, it still bothers me. The idea of someone listening to me that I do not know about is a scary thought. If it is so easy to get ahold of information through the telephone, imagine how easy it is to get information from the internet. Access to the internet is faster and easier today, so we need to be more careful with the information we are putting out there. My brother mentioned to me before that I should not put any information about myself online through an unsecure site, which is a http sight. Like mentioned in class, a secure sight will have an (s) at the end (https). I didn't give it much thought 8 years ago, but today it seems to be a bigger issue. I didn't realized all of the ways I am being watched until talking about them in class, which makes me wonder, "are we really alone when we think we are alone? Is my business just my own, or can other people get ahold of it?" There is a push for electronic medical records, but I have also heard of people getting ahold of them that should not have them. Is anything of ours really safe anymore?