Privacy & Confidentiality

In today society we are growing dependence on computers and the internet, which has caused protecting an individual’s privacy to be very difficult. Sometimes we are not fully aware what data are being collected about us and how it may be used. Registering with a website, providing your name, phone number, e-mail address and etc are all examples. The information you provide allows the site to keep track of what you view or the amount of time spent online. Your information can easily be passed on to a third party who then can also to pass your information. It’s an ongoing cycle of your information being passed around. I knew a woman who is a lesbian but she kept it a secret for a long time. She one day finally decided to disclose the information with her close friend. The next day she received in her mailbox information about being gay. She asked her close friend if he told anyone and he told her no. What a coincidence that she finally told someone about her secret and she receives the mail about information on gays. The internet was able to obtain that much personal information about her to identify her as a gay woman. What if she did not want to disclose that information and someone else picked up her mail? This is a violation of her privacy. If confidentiality is suppose to be the process of protecting an individual’s privacy then why is it not protected?