Editorial: Balancing privacy and access

Sunday, Feb. 6, 2000 | 9:23 a.m.

The personal computer is truly one of the most remarkable technological achieve-ments. The worldwide computer information network known as the Internet has promoted free expression, commerce and education. Data that once took weeks or months to retrieve can now be downloaded in seconds. Attachments such as printers, scanners and microphones give the computer far more versatility than any other device. The computer has also vastly increased worker efficiency and output, a major reason we are enjoying a booming economy.

There is an evil side, however. Criminals have graduated from burglarizing homes and businesses and cracking safes to intercepting credit card information and doctoring stolen checks, all with the help of computers. Pedophiles can feed their sickness by transmitting child pornography or seducing innocent children over Internet chat lines. Crippling viruses can invade a victim's computer hard drive, causing all his files to be destroyed. It is possible now to go online and steal the identity of another person.

This is cause for grave concern. But as Sun reporter Kim Smith noted last week, Nevada law enforcement authorities are now making computer crime one of their top priorities. At a three-day High Tech Crimes Conference in Mesquite that ended Friday, representatives from the Nevada attorney general's office and other prominent authorities discussed ways to fight back.

The conference sponsored by the Nevada Prosecution Advisory Council is the latest in a series of positive steps taken by state authorities to fight computer crime. Last year the Nevada Legislature passed Senate Bill 485, a comprehensive law sponsored by the attorney general that was designed to better protect consumers against the criminal use of technology.

It is important for the public to support law enforcement agencies in their vigorous prosecution of such criminals. Credit card thieves and pedophiles should be obvious targets of prosecution. So should those who spread computer viruses.

But we also believe there is danger in getting overzealous. One gray area is stalking. We all agree that stalkers should be prosecuted, regardless of whether they used computers to assist in their pursuit of victims. But some of the information stalkers gather comes from public records, such as property ownership files. We urge lawmakers to think long and hard before they consider any action that eliminates access to public records.

There is also the issue of privacy. It is bad enough that there are individuals out there who will use any technological means to rip off credit card and Social Security numbers. The last thing computer users need is an unjustified invasion from Big Brother.