Information Anxiety By Meghan Randinelli

Introduction Greatest problem concerning ethical information technology (IT) is personal privacy Greatest problem concerning ethical information technology (IT) is personal privacy Name and personal information are passed from computer to computer DAILY by both private and public sectors Name and personal information are passed from computer to computer DAILY by both private and public sectors Most of the information has been collected with your consent but has been redistributed without your consent Most of the information has been collected with your consent but has been redistributed without your consent

Examples of IT Distribution 1. Tax data: IRS keeps records of all earnings, deductions, etc., and this is available to 40+ government agencies 2. Education data: all awards and grades, plus SATs and roommate details. 3. Medical data: lists of visits to clinics and hospitals, you and your family’s diseases, allergies and medical history 4. Driver and crime data: personal description as well as records of arrests and violations of the law (license revocation) 5. Census data: US Census Bureau contains all close personal data that is confidential but namelessly released for statistics

More Examples of IT Distribution 6. Insurance data: formed a cooperative data base for all medical records 7. Lifestyle data: some 2 way TV cables make it so people can view how you live and then poll it in comparison with other lifestyles 8. Credit data: release intimate details concerning financial issues 9. World Wide Web data: when you enter your personal information/ into websites, it is recorded 10. Employment data: even before you get a job, all information from past ones has been collected 11. Financial institutions: banks keep track of money and the transactions and investments you make

Private vs. Public Social security number binds all personal information Social security number binds all personal information IT is the basis for storing and processing all information but it is being abused by people who manage it IT is the basis for storing and processing all information but it is being abused by people who manage it We aren’t usually told what information is being gathered and usually cannot see it either We aren’t usually told what information is being gathered and usually cannot see it either New laws are being formed that you must give consent to sell your data, making it more time consuming and expensive for those who work in gathering data New laws are being formed that you must give consent to sell your data, making it more time consuming and expensive for those who work in gathering data While it is still slightly unsafe to use IT, it is more unsafe to have irreplaceable hard files While it is still slightly unsafe to use IT, it is more unsafe to have irreplaceable hard files Computer monitoring aids in the process of increasing privacy of personal data Computer monitoring aids in the process of increasing privacy of personal data Privacy legislation is kind of difficult to pass especially due to the positive impact society receives from all the shared information Privacy legislation is kind of difficult to pass especially due to the positive impact society receives from all the shared information For example it helps to see the distribution of persons and their preferences in societal views For example it helps to see the distribution of persons and their preferences in societal views

Profiling Profiling: companies examine and evaluate data to create comprehensive personal profiles Profiling: companies examine and evaluate data to create comprehensive personal profiles Record all transactions made, and the computer based expert system uses rules to analyze all your information and create an accurate profile of your lifestyle Record all transactions made, and the computer based expert system uses rules to analyze all your information and create an accurate profile of your lifestyle Beneficial because of the fact that it helps with the polling and profiling of society Beneficial because of the fact that it helps with the polling and profiling of society Harmful because of the little amount of privacy attributed to it Harmful because of the little amount of privacy attributed to it