Law enforcement agencies must be able to investigate crimes, and the national government has an obligation to protect its citizens. The Fourth, Ninth , and Fourteenth Amendments have been used to support a right to privacy. The age of computers has spawned a new concern in the privacy debate. New technology has increased not only the amount of information circulating about individuals, but also the ease of retrieving virtually anything you want to know about someone. Computers and more recently the Internet have certainly made this prophecy a reality.
Information comes from several sources.
Anytime one has to provide information for credit card applications, medical records, insurance applications, driver's license applications and renewals, online purchases, or visits to websites information is gathered and stored. Providing personal information is necessary in our society, but everyone gives this information with the expectation that it will remain confidential. Information, however, is the hot commodity of the 90s, and it is for sale. Those selling information are not necessarily concerned with its accuracy. Several Internet directories provide names, addresses, e-mail addresses, phone numbers and even maps showing the exact location of an address.