Privacy Issues In Federal Systems

from the Cato Institute.

By Solveig Singleton "Privacy Issues in Federal Systems"

Federal information-gathering systems of many different types raise similar concerns about privacy; some of these systems include tax enforcement systems, Know Your Customer programs to crack down on money laundering, medical databases, and so on. My testimony today is applicable to a wide range of systems, and will explore the following issues:

• The danger to human rights from federal information systems.
  
  
• Security concerns such as identity theft, as distinct from privacy concerns.
  
  
• The role of encryption, biometrics, and digital signatures in federal systems.
  
  
• The most effective rules for ameliorating federal threats to privacy, emphasizing the importance of limited government, limited agency discretion, and the Fourth Amendment.