Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
coupons. for. a. free. loaf. of. the. bread. she. usually. purchases.
next.week,.just.as.a.gesture.of.appreciation.
These. are. just. two. short. examples. of. how. this. type. of.
record.might.be.used..Take.a.minute.to.imagine.some.other.
scenarios.. Perhaps. an. event. that. takes. place. in. a. place. of.
business,.such.as.an.accident.or.theft.that.would.require.an.
understanding.of.who.was.present.at.the.time,.or.a.dispute.
between.an.employee.and.her.coworker.about.who.spent.the.
most.time.working.on.a.project.
Some.people.might.feel.that.this.type.of.tracking.is.inva-
sive.to.their.privacy,.and.that.is.something.to.consider.as.well,.
especially.in.the.case.of.the.grocery.or.other.store.discount.
cards..They.do,.in.fact,.give.the.retailers.speciic.information.
about.the.items.you.buy.and.the.frequency.of.your.shopping.
trips.. While. these. might. not. technically. be. called.
physical.
access
.records,.in.that.they.were.not.established.for.the.pur-
pose.of.showing.when.you.physically.accessed.a.facility,.they.
nevertheless.provide.that.information.
This.is.an.important.point.to.consider.when.you.are.think-
ing. about. electronic. records. that. illustrate. the. presence. or.
absence.of.a.person.in.a.building.or.store..There.are.many.
types.of.identiication.cards.that.we.all.have.in.our.wallets,.
purses,.or.on.our.persons..Most.of.them.allow.us.privileges.
that.might.or.might.not.include.access.to.a.building.or.room..
For.instance.you.may.have.a.library.card.that.allows.you.to.
borrow.books.from.your.local.library.
A.library.card.is.a.great.example.of.an.identiication.tool.
that.might.or.might.not.be.usable.to.establish.your.where-
abouts..If.you.are.able.to.use.your.library.card.to.check.out.
books.online,.the.electronic.records.of.the.use.of.that.card.
might. not. distinguish. between. which. computer. you. were.
using. to. check. out. a. topic,. or. if. you. were. even. at. a. com-
puter.instead.of.at.the.checkout.desk..Yet.those.records.may.
record. your. location,. including. the. IP. address. of. the. com-
puter.you.used.to.check.out.a.topic,.whether.you.chose.to.
have.it.mailed.to.you,.or.if.you.were.at.the.checkout.desk.or.
