Law Commons^™

Information About Individuals In The Hands Of Government: Some Reflections On Mechanisms For Privacy Protection, Lillian R. Bevier

William & Mary Bill of Rights Journal

Information is the handmaiden of the modern activist state. In particular, information provided by individuals to government enables government to assess and collect taxes, to distribute social welfare benefits, and to pursue its regulatory agenda. Computer technology enhances the government's ability to gather, store, analyze, and process personal data. Computers make it easy for government agencies to share with one another information provided to them by individual citizens.

These facts bring issues of "informational privacy" to the fore. In this Article, Professor BeVier examines one such issue, namely that of unconsented-to use by government of accurate information provided by citizens …