Privacy Decision Making in Administrative Agencies

Administrative agencies increasingly rely on technology to promote the substantive goals they are charged to pursue. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has prioritized digitized personal health data as a means for improving patient safety and reducing bureaucratic costs. The Department of Justice hosts electronic databases that pool information between agencies to facilitate national law enforcement in ways previously unimaginable. The Departments of Defense and Education mine digital information to effect goals as diverse as human resources management; service improvement; fraud, waste, and abuse control; and detection of terrorist activity.

The use of technology to achieve the principal purposes set forth in agency enabling statutes