Abstract
Computers are a mainstay of most record systems at virtually all levels of government. The vast accumulation of personal information by governments has raised concerns about the erosion of personal privacy caused by the speed and efficiency of computers. For more than 30 years, realistic and sometimes exaggerated concerns about the proper role of computers in society have driven the public policy debate, resulting in a raft of legislation designed to protect the privacy of individuals about whom government keeps records.
But these computer /privacy concerns threaten legitimate public and media access to government records. The dangers to access were underscored by the Supreme Court in a holding that publicly available records regained privacy interests when drawn together in a centralized government computer. In other words, the form in which records were kept rather than their content could control access.
This article suggests that understanding the origin and context of the computer /privacy conflict will better prepare access proponents to deal with attempts to curtail legitimate access to government information because of privacy concerns.