We are living in a world of bar codes, computer files, and digital records where our vital statistics are no longer private and everyone knows our name. Fortunately, there are laws protecting citizen privacy and data collection. Where other works on privacy may discuss the public-policy issues of government interference and Big Brother paranoia, this compilation, updated from the 1992 edition and touted as the "nation's only single source of information about confidentiality statutes," digests the relevant privacy laws surrounding bank records, computer crime, library records, employment records, and 18 other areas. The more than 600 laws described and cited are grouped by category, from "Arrest and Conviction Records" to "Testing in Employment." The standard format for each category is a summary of each state's law and citation to the full statute; representative laws are included in full text in an appendix. Although a table of contents lists the categories, the lack of a subject index forces the reader to scan the prefatory material to determine where certain topics have been categorized (breast-feeding in public in New York is listed under "Miscellaneous") and for the grid of states and topics. Background on the history of privacy issues is included, as well as an appropriate caution that regulations and court cases may affect the statute. Canadian laws are included in an appendix. Smith, a lawyer and journalist, is the publisher of Privacy Journal, an independent monthly newsletter published since 1974. Recommended for all public libraries as an index or starting point in research. Kathie J. Sullivan, McNamee, Lochner, Titus & Williams Lib., Albany, N.Y.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Review
"Strongly recommended for all public libraries and law school libraries" -- Martindale-Hubbell Legal Publishing Review
"includes hundreds of capsule descriptions of privacy law" -- Datamation magazine
"very helpful" -- Criminal Justice Research Center, Albany, NY
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