Privacy and Information Week 5. Computers and Government uThousands of government offices and...
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Transcript of Privacy and Information Week 5. Computers and Government uThousands of government offices and...
Privacy and Information
Week 5
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?...
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 Not every state is “in”
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, search, analyze, and access large amounts of data
records fields Tree structure for search
Other Databases
Employee ID scanners
Prescription drugs
Bank machines Cellular phone
calls Browsing on Net -
cookies Sweepstakes
Satellites Credit/Debit 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 then 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?
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 Can be used for marketing
purposes Hard to restrict due to varying
laws in different states Insurance benefits require
that we tell all
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 trails to track usage by workers
Computer records reduce handling and potential reading
Risks due to databases
Unauthorized use by people who maintain them
Access from intruders Mishandling Errors and potential
problems Unintentional side-effects
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 Etc.