Privacy

Urine analysis

Drug testing programs operate in two general contexts: to deter drug use, or punish it; and, to assist in treatment and rehabilitation. Programs may administer urine tests periodically, randomly, or only in response to accidents or incidents in which drug use is suspected. Privacy interests differ between settings, but their combined effect is a generalized […]

United States Postal Service (USPS)

The Postal Service was created in 1775 by decree of the Second Continental Congress. The passage of the Postal Reorganization Act in 1970 restructured the Post Office Department into the independent division of the executive branch we have today. Presently owned and regulated by the executive branch, the USPS is the third largest employer in […]

United States v. Caldwell, 408 U.S. 665 (1972)

In early 1970, a grand jury was investigating violations of federal law, including threats against the president, civil disorder, and mail fraud, by the Black Panther Party and other black militant groups. Earl Caldwell was a reporter for the New York Times and assigned to cover the activities of the Black Panther Party and similar […]

United States v. Dionisio, 410 U.S. 1 (1973)

The right to feel secure from unreasonable governmental searches and seizures is a fundamental constitutional protection founded on the Fourth Amendment. The question in United States v. Dionisio was whether Fourth Amendment protection extends to security of an individual’s voice. The Supreme Court deliberated on the need to protect private citizens against governmental mandates to […]

United States v. Dunn, 480 U.S. 294 (1987)

Ronald Dunn owned nearly 200 acres of ranch property. Situated one-half mile off the public road, the ranch consisted of a home with a nearby greenhouse, two barns approximately 50 yards from the house, and a fence surrounding the property. The ranch had a series of interior fences as well. One encircled the home and […]

United States v. Kyllo, 533 U.S. 27 (2001)

Federal agents suspected defendant Kyllo of growing marijuana in his home, part of a triplex. Indoor marijuana production requires high-intensity heat lamps. In order to determine if such lamps were in use at Kyllo’s home, agents used a thermal imager to determine the relative amount of heat emanating from Kyllo’s triplex. The scan was done […]

Transaction-generated data

In the contemporary world of commerce, from grocery store to the Internet, all legal transactions between buyers and sellers are recorded. A transaction may be conceptualized as the exchange of one value for another (e.g., money in exchange for a good). In the marketplace, payment increasingly occurs through credit cards or digital cash, and record-keeping […]

Trespass

Trespass is the unauthorized entry onto or use of property, either real or personal. The legal concept of trespass was developed in English common law during the thirteenth century as a means of protecting the king’s interest in land and was not considered a protection of privacy per se. Today trespass is most often used […]

Two-way mirrors

Two-way mirrors, also referred to as one-way mirrors, are primarily used by police to observe criminal suspects or by retail employees to monitor customers for theft. Although two-way mirrors are famous for their placement in police interrogation rooms and shopping malls, they have become more readily available to the public and are increasingly used in […]

United States Census

The U.S. Census has evolved a great deal since the first enumeration in 1790. As the population has grown, the task of collecting demographic information from every household in the country has become more complex and costly. Over time the survey itself has also changed, now including questions designed to elicit more sensitive information than […]

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