Justice Brennan expresses concerns about the storage of personal information in a central location, the accessibility and potential abuse of that information, and how technological advancements will present new challenges in information security. He cites the Fourth Amendment to the Constitution and its limitations on information gathering and its methodology. Justice Brennan also suggests that this type of invasion should only be considered justifiable in the pursuit of some “compelling state interest” (Perry & Thompson, 2017).
The extent of advancement and interconnectedness of information systems since the 1970s has enhanced the need for vigilance in the safeguarding of personal information. We have seen in recent history the insecurity of the most guarded secrets in the recent “Vault 7” disclosures, and the phishing that provided access to Hillary Clinton’s email account (Wikileaks, 2018). Many claims that the disclosure of the inner workings of the democratic national committee affected the results of the 2016 election are not unfounded. This is among the few times in political history when the public was able to “see how the sausage is made”. The Vault 7 disclosure provided open access to the hacking tools developed by the Central Intelligence Agency, which is concerning to those interested in information security for obvious reasons. It is very difficult to ensure the security of information online, and this enhances privacy concerns given the amount pf personally identifiable information that now exists on the internet.
Everything from our DNA sequence, to sexual preferences, to shopping habits, and medical history is catalogued and maintained on the web. Access to this information and the ability to analyze metadata is becoming immensely profitable for marketing purposes. There are protections against discrimination by employers and insurance companies for health-related matters, but the extent of information about us online makes us susceptible to behavioral manipulation as well. Companies such as Cambridge Analytica use “data to change audience behavior” (Cambridge Analytica, 2018). Justice Brennan was right to be concerned about the centralization of personal information, and it seems the problems will continue to grow as we become more reliant on digital mediums. We need to deliberately weigh the costs and benefits of centralization of medical information, but technology may be advancing faster than we can address privacy concerns.
Thanks for reading,
Ben
References
Cambridge Analytica. (2018, March). Retrieved from cambridgeanalytica.org: https://cambridgeanalytica.org/
Perry, J., & Thompson, D. (2017). Law and Ethics In the Business of Health Care. St. Paul: West Academic.
Wikileaks. (2018, March). Retrieved from wikileaks.org: https://wikileaks.org/ciav7p1/