1. Privacy and Information
Week 5

2. Computers and Government
Thousands of government offices and departments exist
All use computers in some manner

3. Most common uses Data collection and maintenance Research
Code breaking
Defense
and?...

4. Big Brother More than 4000 government databases exist
We leave many data trails to facilitate the collection of information
Government pushes their rights to protect ours

5. 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
Fingerprints
DNA

6. 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”

7. National ID Cards Multi-purpose cards
Smart card - microprocessor and memory
used when interacting with governments and banks, medical

8. Benefits Need to actuate the card to verify identity Harder to forge
Carry only one card
Reduces fraud
Prevents illegal work

9. Civilian applications of government technologies
Economic espionage
Sharing of technology between law enforcement and other agencies
Military surveillance technology used in civilian applications

10. 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

11. 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

12. Database
Program to help you store, manage, search, analyze, and access large amounts of data
records
fields
Tree structure for search

13. Common 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

14. Public records Arrest records Postal address records DMV
Voter registration
Birth and death certificates
Marriage certificates
Divorce records
Property records
Court records
Arrest records
Postal address records

15. Confidential Records Social welfare information Tax information
School records
Public library records
Criminal history
Health records

16. 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, remains available for years

17. 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

18. Acquisition of Data
Census
Surveillance
Identification
Networking

19. 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

20. Data Mining Analyze to perform data profiles
Create from customer files then matches are made
Businesses and governments keep records and sell them

21. 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

22. 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

23. Data Mining Uses Target customers Advertise to current customers
Manipulate markets
Select, monitor, and control employees

24. Social security number
Most common tool
Social security number

25. Social Security Number
Major use for identification
Linked to
banking data
credit report
driving record
earnings history
work history
Reused?????

26. 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

27. 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?

28. 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

29. 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

30. 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

31. Risks due to databases Unauthorized use by people who maintain them
Access from intruders
Mishandling
Errors and potential problems
Unintentional side-effects

32. Creep Phenomenon
If information is collected, it will probably be used for many purposes that were not intended when the project started

33. Biometrics Verification through unique physical characteristics
little fraud
fingerprints
DNA
hand geometry
facial recognition
facial thermography
Etc.