Showing papers on "Information privacy published in 1983"

Inference Controls for Statistical Databases

Abstract: The goal of statistical databases is to provide frequencies, averages, and other statistics about groups of persons (or organizations), while protecting the privacy of the individuals represented in the database. This objective is difficult to achieve, since seemingly innocuous statistics contain small vestiges of the data used to compute them. By correlating enough statistics, sensitive data about an individual can be inferred. As a simple example, suppose there is only one female professor in an electrical engineering department. If statistics are released for the total salary of all professors in the department and the total salary of all male professors, the female professor's salary is easily obtained by subtraction. The problem of protecting against such indirect disclosures of sensitive data is called the inference problem. Over the last several decades, census agencies have developed many techniques for controlling inferences in population surveys. These techniques are applied before data are released so that the distributed data are free from disclosure problems. The data are typically released either in the form of microstatistics, which are files of \"sanitized\" records, or in the form of macrostatistics, which are tables of counts, sums, and higher order statistics. Starting with a study by Hoffman and Miller,' computer scientists began to look at the inference problem in on-line, general-purpose database systems allowing both statistical and nonstatistical access. A hospital database, for example, can give doctors direct access to a patient's medical records, while hospital administrators are permitted access only to statistical summaries of the records. Up until the late 1970's, most studies of the inference problem in these systems led to negative results; every conceivable control seemed to be easy to circumvent, to severely restrict the free flow of information, or to be intractable to implement. Recently, the results have become more positive, since we are now discovering controls that can potentially keep security and information loss at acceptable levels for a reasonable cost. This article surveys some of the controls that have been studied, comparing them with respect to their security, information loss, and cost. The controls are divided into two categories: those that place restrictions on the set of allowable queries and those that add \"noise\" to the data or to the released statistics. The controls are described and further classified within the context of a lattice model.

A new definition of privacy for the law

Abstract: The paper begins with a defence of a new definition of privacy as the absence of undocumented personal knowledge. In the middle section, I criticise alternative accounts of privacy. Finally, I show how my definition can be worked into contemporary American Law.

Who Should Know What? Social Science, Privacy and Ethics:

Abstract: John Barnes believes that the conditions governing social research have changed radically in recent years. Specifically, the balance of power has changed between the four parties involved, whom he calls ‘scientists’, ‘sponsors’, ‘gatekeepers’ and ‘citizens’ (i.e., subjects). The potential uses of social knowledge have become more evident, control by government agencies is more pervasive, and the sophistication and resistance of the public is now an important factor in the calculations of the research workers. There is consequently a new ethical awareness abroad:

Litigation under the Federal Freedom of Information Act and Privacy Act

Abstract: Make more knowledge even in less time every day. You may not always spend your time and money to go abroad and get the experience and knowledge by yourself. Reading is a good alternative to do in getting this desirable knowledge and experience. You may gain many things from experiencing directly, but of course it will spend much money. So here, by reading litigation under the federal freedom of information act and privacy act, you can take more advantages with limited budget.

Medical computing law - the way to correct medical information and documentation

Abstract: This presentation will report some reflections about "MEDICAL COMPUTING LAW." The experience with practice in the field of computer application in medical care brought many problems with the law: E.G. privacy, data protection and data security problems, questions of contracting in hardware and software, use of computers in medicine, liability for medical computer decision making, etc. All these problems and questions call for a new view of law in the computer field, especially in the medical sector. So we decided to describe MEDICAL COMPUTING LAW as an interdisciplinary legal science with the function of integration of legal concepts.

Data protection in the United Kingdom: Part 1

Abstract: The United Kingdom Government is about to enact legisla tion for data protection. It is intended that this will safeguard the pnvacy of the individual which is seen to be threatened by the increasing use and capabilities of computerised personal information systems. There are also fears that the British computer and data processing industries will be at a disad vantage when competing in the international market without legislation equivalent to that already operating in other coun tries. The legislation will enable the UK to ratify the Council of Europe Data Protection Convention and to comply with the OECD Guidelines on Transborder Data Flow.Data protection is a valuable example of the interaction of information technology and society. This paper presents an overview of the issues involved. It examines what is meant by data privacy and how that privacy may be infringed by the use of both computerised and manual record systems. The impact of technology on the privacy problem is descnbed, including linkage...

Patient privacy: a consumer protection approach

Abstract: In the United States, a "Constitutional Analysis" of medical data privacy has been so far unsuccessful in obtaining significant protection. Statutory protection has evolved primarily to protect the citizen against the state, not to vindicate the privacy interest of the individual. A "Consumer Protection" approach rather than a right to privacy approach can be used to develop a coherent, practical approach to the needs of various parties in the health care system in the U.S.

Client Privacy and Social Work: A Comparison By Agency Function

Abstract: This study examines the effect of agency function or purpose on the handling of client privacy issues in social work agencies. Practitioners working in public and private agencies were compared. The data revealed that, more than those in private agencies, social workers in public agencies: (1) thought that their work would be more affected if they could not rely on outside sources for information about clients; (2) were more often requested to supply information about clients to outside sources; and (3) were more likely to reveal information about clients as a form of ethical dilemma resolution. It is suggested that compliance from clients is the primary social reward sought by practitioners in public agencies and that client information is used as an instrument of power in obtaining it. Practitioners in private agencies, on the other hand, seek different social rewards and tend to be more protective of client privacy. Dilemmas about what to do with client information are frequent in social work and other human service situations. At the heart of these concerns is the extent to which this information should be kept confidential. As an ethic, confidentiality requires that such information not be disclosed to third parties unless authorized by the client or in unusual circumstances (Shan, 1970). The latter has usually been thought to portend danger to the client or others (Jagim et al., 1978). The issue of confidentiality has been addressed in social work and related literature (see, for example, Arnold, 1970; Noble, 1971; Reynolds, 1976; and Wilson, 1978). Yet, there has been little accompanying empirical work. The purpose here is to report the findings of a study on how knowledge about clients, specifically the gathering and exchange of information and resolution of ethical dilemma situations, is affected by the function or purpose of the employing agency. Opinions about general privacy issues were also obtained.