Privacy and Information Week 5. Computers and Government uThousands of government offices and departments exist uAll use computers in some manner.

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.