Information technology and privacy intersect when concerns surrounding personal information are triggered by advances in information technology. Information technology refers to the role of computers in storing, aggregating, processing, and distributing data or information. It is a term often used specifically with regard to use by organizations such as businesses or the federal government because concerns are typically linked to mass storage.

Although vehicles for electronic data storage have existed since the early part of the 20th century, [Page 1841]the mass storage opportunities did not become readily available until about the 1960s with the emergence of database management systems and portable storage devices. According to a study conducted at the University of Southern California, approximately 94% of the world’s information was stored digitally as of 2007, ...