privacy: From www.m-w.com:

1 a : the quality or state of being apart from company or observation : SECLUSION b : freedom from unauthorized intrusion <one's right to privacy>
2 archaic : a place of seclusion
3 a : SECRECY b : a private matter : SECRET

Privacy is a big topic, with many aspects -- for example the technical aspects of how to maintain privacy and the legal aspects of how much right to privacy an individual (or corporation has, and what happens when the right to privacy conflicts with the need to "promote the general welfare".

People have always wanted some degree of privacy. With the coming of computers (personal and multiuser), and computer networks, maintaining appropriate privacy is a bigger issue. Various degrees of privacy are provided by:

• login requirements (authorization)
• file ownership and file permissions
• physical isolation of computers
• off line storage (floppy disks, CD-Roms, etc.)
• encryption and encrypted files

See also:

• authentication
• electronic signature
• authorization and authentication

Resources

• HP technology news: employee privacy: an IT primer -- One example of the tension between privacy and the need to promote the general welfare is between employees and employers. If you are called upon to implement a monitoring technology in a business environment, read this for some sage suggestions.

• MONITORING EMPLOYEE E-MAIL: EFFICIENT WORKPLACES VS. EMPLOYEE PRIVACY; iBRIEF / eCommerce; Cite as 2001 Duke L. & Tech. Rev. 0026; 7/25/2001 -- an attempt to explain U.S. law regarding an employees lack of right to privacy in company email (IIUC -- haven't read)

Contributors

• RandyKramer - 03 Feb 2002
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