Public University System Sustainable Privacy Protection

Running head: SUSTAINABLE PRIVACY PROTECTION Kimberly Dickerson American Public University System Sustainable Privacy Protection March 27, 2015 Privacy, specifically the sharing of one’s personal information with and without permission, is at the forefront of many conversations today. This topic is a critical aspect of societal existence in the technologically driven 21st century. There’s a plethora of data stored and used in nearly every business operation; and the stored data is often sold to and/or shared with other parties/entities. The management and protection of an individual’s personally identifiable information is paramount to individual and national security. This article will summarize the Act’s key points of†¦show more content†¦Thought to be the origin of privacy rights, the Ninth Amendment provides understanding to all that the rights explicitly stated with the Bill of Rights are not the only rights or protections granted (LII, n.d.). Augmenting the Ninth Amendment, the Fourth and Fifth Amendments provides the right for persons, home, papers and effects to be secure within their own home, against unreasonable search and seizure; and government action leading to self-incrimination, respectively (Ferrera, et.al., 2012). As business practices/operations grew, the collection, retention, maintenance and data utility requirements grew, particularly in the United States. This task became more manageable with the advancement of technology in the decades of 1960 and 1970. The public’s ‘concern’ of personal information/data abuse began to grow, as well, particularly in light of quick and easy computer searches and file sourcing. To address this growing operational trend and public concern, the Privacy Act of 1974 was passed December 31, 1974. The Privacy Act was enacted to create a fair practice of collecting, maintaining, using and disseminating personally identifiable information (PII) maintained in systems of records (the contents of an agency’s collection database) (DOJ, 2015). The Privacy Act is a law (or statute) which protects the rights of individuals â€Å"not to be watched or followed†, in other words lead their own life in private. Moreover, the Privacy Act regulates