Information technology is making it increasingly easy to collect and access computerised data on individuals, which poses a threat to our privacy. In what ways can the information gathered be misused and what can be done to minimise these misuses and protect the privacy of the individual?

Information

on private citizens has been collected and stored in electronic form by governments and

organisations

for many years.

However

, with the advent of the Internet,

information

about our finances, health, relationships and tastes as consumers can now be easily accessed and disseminated without our knowledge or consent.

As a result

of

this

, unscrupulous

individuals

and

organisations

can misuse

this

information

and threaten our privacy. There are a number of ways in which personal

data

can be misused. The most common is probably the trading of consumers' personal details between commercial

organisations

with the aim of targeting potential customers.

This

leads to people being inundated with unsolicited promotional leaflets, catalogues and emails. More seriously, employers can run checks on prospective employees to glean details about their health, political allegiances and whether they have a criminal record.

Similarly

, insurance companies, not wanting to pay out expensive medical claims, may access the health records of

individuals

who apply for life insurance policies before deciding whether or not to insure them. How can

such

abuses be prevented? Regarding the exchange of customer

information

between companies, the only effective solution is to make unsolicited promotional posts and emails illegal.

Consequently

,

organisations

would have no incentive to trade in people's personal details. In order to protect people looking for work, only the

information

provided by applicants themselves on the application form or during the interview should be legitimate grounds for rejection, and test takers who are rejected should have the right to ask for the reasons why.

Finally

, as a general measure to prevent misuse by insurance companies, it is essential that

organisations

which gather

data

should inform

individuals

of the

information

that is

collected.

Individuals

must be able to access the

data

themselves so that they can find out exactly what kind of

information

it is and check for inaccuracies. They must be allowed to choose how and to what extent the

information

is, or will be, used and they must be confident that the

data

will be held securely. In conclusion, It is not likely that the above measures will result in guaranteed individual privacy.

However

, I am convinced that they will go some way to help limit the misuse of personal

information

while at the same time giving

individuals

more control over the

information

that is

held on them.