Electronic Privacy

Electronic privacy is the protection of individuals from surveillance by government or private agencies via electronic means such as wiretapping, videotaping, or computer surveillance. Many forms of information and data have been converted to electronic formats, and the technology for information gathering has increased exponentially in the computer era because of the amount of information recorded on computers, the ability to gather and store this information, and the techniques available to retrieve it.

The availability of large quantities of information transmitted over electronic media that are often insecure or open to [Page 236]interception raises serious privacy and security problems. Many forms of information can be obtained by hacking, by data mining, or by government or private sniffing programs that make it possible to monitor computer network traffic. Personal data, including social security numbers, bank account numbers, credit card numbers and passwords, Internet browser history, documents stored on computer drives, and email messages can be captured. Keyloggers can be used to capture all keystrokes and reconstruct computer activity. Computer viruses and Trojans can send information and destroy computers or hijack them for malicious tasks. Peer-to-peer networks used for file sharing (such as the music service Napster) are among the most insecure. Commercial transactions are transmitted and stored in databases and may be hacked or intercepted. Hackers can attempt to intercept wireless transmission of data such as credit card numbers used during online purchasing. There are also commercially available programs for obtaining personal information.

The ability of hackers, government agencies, Internet providers, and others to obtain personal data has created a growing threat to privacy and has made identity theft more common. Information may be obtained by pretexting or phishing, in which scammers are able to direct users to mirror sites that look like legitimate websites. Identity theft occurs when someone obtains and uses a social security number or credit card information to impersonate another person, often for the purpose of committing fraud. Once an identity has been stolen, credit card accounts can be established, and phone accounts or even employment can be obtained using a social security number. Identity theft can also be used by terrorists or other groups engaging in espionage.

The increasing use of video cameras by police in urban areas for crime control and to monitor traffic can pose a threat to privacy. While authorities often claim the benefits to public safety outweigh any risks to privacy, the possibility for abuse exists. Critics see this as a trend toward a society without privacy.