Kelly High School ITGS

Today, we are going on a scavenger hunt. The teams will compete to see who can do the best by finding the items worth the most points.

History of Privacy

The idea of privacy has been around since the constitution. So why are we talking about it now? Things have changed since the constitution was written. Databases now hold much more information than the past. And that information can be retrieved much more efficiently.

Database Technology

We studied database technology. Some aspects of how databases work have an effect on this issue. We talked before about the concept of a primary key. One such key that uniquely identifies each person in the US is the social security number. The use of a global "primary key" for people make it possible for the government and corporations to combine the information that they collect about us to find out exactly what kind of person you are based on the things you buy, were you live, what you own, where you travel, and who you associate with.

Do they need the social security number as a primary key?

Identity Theft

A huge problem with our personal information and our ssn is identity theft. If someone gets your social security number it is easy for them to assume your identity.

Pros and Cons

Although huge databases that can be linked together using relational database techniques can be a threat to your privacy, there are some advantages to having all this information about you out there. Listen to this Database Nation discussion about databases and privacy.

The Government and Databases

The federal government keeps many databases that contain information about people. Since the founding of the US, people have fought against the federal government's collection of information and control of our information.