Citizens across the United States are facing an unsettling reality: The newly created government agency, Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), has access to secure government databases and the personal data stored within. This access raises significant concerns, not only because it has the potential to undermine public trust, but also because it challenges long-standing legal protections.
In 1974, the US Congress grew increasingly concerned over the rising use of computers to store sensitive information, such as social security numbers, and the potential abuses that could arise if this data should fall into the wrong hands. To address this concern, the Privacy Act of 1974 was enacted into law to balance the government’s need to compile individuals’ information with citizens’ rights to be protected against unwarranted privacy invasions.
What Is The Privacy Act of 1974?
The Privacy Act of 1974 is a federal data privacy law that limits government agencies to only collecting personal data that are relevant and necessary for its given function. It also requires that the data collection be transparent and gathered directly from the individual whenever possible. The purpose of the law is to prevent unlawful access to personal information that could erode public confidence.
Bypassing the Privacy Act of 1974 opens the door for bad actors and creates a dangerous precedent for government agencies to gain unlawful access to personal information that could ultimately erode public confidence. If sensitive personal data is mishandled, improperly shared or exposed, it could have far-reaching consequences. To truly grasp the gravity of these concerns, it’s crucial to understand the types of personal data at risk and the potential fallout if this information is misused.
Types of Personal Data at Risk
Data collection begins from the moment someone is born. What starts with a social security number quickly snowballs as a child grows into data on medical care, housing, religious services and education opportunities. Imagining the amount of data collected on one single person is difficult to conceptualize.
Rather than enacting set, nationwide laws for every type of data collected on an individual, the United States operates under a patchwork mentality. With a mix of laws woven together, often enacted by individual states, each citizens’ protections can look different. Some common laws most people have heard of include the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act (GLBA), and the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA).
To get into the nitty-gritty of each of these laws is a time-consuming process most United States citizens never undergo. From a high-level view, these laws highlight the variety of information the government collects - including health data from “covered entities,” loan services, credit reports, and a great deal more. Most citizens expect that this data is securely stored and no one outside of essential personnel will review it.
How Personal Data Could Be Misused
Whether we know it or not, most businesses in today’s digital age maintain a portfolio of individual consumers to identify them. This could include IP addresses, physical addresses, browsing history, social media accounts, spending habits and travel patterns. With all this data collected, businesses can easily target their ideal customers and leverage marketing to convince shoppers to buy a product. As more data privacy issues come to light, United States citizens have begun to realize how much information businesses have gathered on them and the dangers that can occur when this information isn’t properly protected.
What makes the situation particularly concerning with DOGE is the scope of access it has to personal information. The details that used to be siloed between departments could be compiled to create a dangerously accurate and personal profile of each United States citizen, similar to that of businesses, but with highly sensitive information. With this wealth of data housed in a singular location, the risk of it falling into the wrong hands increases exponentially, especially if there are lapses in security measures or protocols are not rigorously enforced.
Among all this uncertainty, the guardrails set up to protect data, including rules to oversee sharing between agencies and vetting any employees who work with sensitive data, are being overlooked. With rapid training of employees and lax security measures in play, United States citizens’ sensitive data can end up in the wrong hands. If even a photo of this information was taken, it could be worth a significant price tag to businesses. When information is viewed as dollar signs rather than a human’s privacy, the implications this can have on citizens’ trust in their own government are insurmountable.
Businesses Should Move With Caution Over Data Privacy
Major breaches of individual privacy and trust can leave people feeling helpless. As a business, policies must reflect this shift in sentiment. For years, the absence of standardized consumer data privacy laws in the U.S. — coupled with almost daily data breaches — has desensitized citizens and led them to overlook where their data is going. Americans deserve to feel that their data is protected. Without these standardized protections, it’s on consumers to stay vigilant and secure. Ultimately, many consumers will choose to support businesses that value protecting customer data.
For businesses, the onus falls on you to provide clear information about the collection, storage, and usage of data. Mechanisms for explicit consent, like opt-in or opt-out of authentication, let users share data at their convenience, limiting data collection practices by organizations. In a time of uncertainty, businesses can go a long way in demonstrating their commitment to earning consumers’ trust by being transparent and honest about the data they collect.
As data privacy concerns continue to grow and evolve, it’s crucial for consumers to understand what protections are in place to safeguard their personal information. This includes knowing state laws and choosing wisely which businesses and agencies certain data is shared with. Personal data is more than just an asset — it’s a reflection of individual lives.
Whether you own a business or you’re a consumer questioning your data privacy, now is the time to gain clarity over what data you’re sharing on a daily basis. In the end, every individual is subject to the actions happening at a national level and all of us have a responsibility to ourselves to protect what data we can.
