Changes in the World

Federal Privacy Act

When the federal Privacy Act was conceived, desktop computers were unheard of. The state-of-the-art technology consisted of electric typewriters and a few, very basic, word processing devices. Trade barriers and borders were effective constraints on the sharing of personal information. Terrorism and national security were not the first words to spring to the lips of government officials. Sacrificing privacy had not yet been painted as almost a national duty in support of the war on terror(Bornstein 21).

When the federal Privacy Act was conceived, you could walk down the street without being captured by dozens of surveillance ...