Public recordsPublic records are documents or pieces of information that are not considered confidential and generally pertain to the conduct of government. Depending on jurisdiction, examples of public records include information pertaining to births, deaths, marriages, and documented transactions with government agencies. Attitudes and expectations about what information should be made public have been studied.
Classified informationClassified information is confidential material that a government, corporation, or non-governmental organisation deems to be sensitive information, which must be protected from unauthorized disclosure and that requires special handling and dissemination controls. Access is restricted by law, regulation, or corporate policies to particular groups of individuals with both the necessary security clearance and a need to know.
Identity theftIdentity theft, identity piracy or identity infringement occurs when someone uses another person's personal identifying information, such as their name, identifying number, or credit card number, without their permission to commit fraud or other crimes. Coined in 1964, the term identity theft has been legally defined in both the UK and the U.S. as the theft of personally identifiable information.
Sex offender registryA sex offender registry is a system in various countries designed to allow government authorities to keep track of the activities of sex offenders, including those who have completed their criminal sentences. Sex offender registration is usually accompanied by residential address notification requirements. In many jurisdictions, registered sex offenders are subject to additional restrictions, including on housing.
CensusA census (from the Latin, 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating information about the members of a given population, which is then usually presented through statistics. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses. Other common censuses include censuses of agriculture, traditional culture, businesses, supplies, and traffic censuses.
PrivacySeclusion from unwanted attentionBanksy's One Nation Under CCTV graffiti, adjacent to an actual CCTV cameraPrivacy (UK: , US: ) is the ability of an individual or group to seclude themselves or information about themselves, and thereby express themselves selectively. The domain of privacy partially overlaps with security, which can include the concepts of appropriate use and protection of information. Privacy may also take the form of bodily integrity.
Trade secretA trade secret is a type of intellectual property that protects a formula, process, or other business information that is valuable because it is not generally known or readily ascertainable and that the owner keeps secret in order to maintain a competitive advantage. Well-known examples of trade secrets include the formula for Coca-Cola, the recipe for Kentucky Fried Chicken, and the formula for Zildjian bronze cymbals.
Access controlIn physical security and information security, access control (AC) is the action of deciding whether a subject should be granted or denied access to an object (for example, a place or a resource). The act of accessing may mean consuming, entering, or using. It is often used interchangeably with authorization, although the authorization may be granted well in advance of the access control decision. Access control on digital platforms is also termed admission control.
National securityNational security, or national defense (national defence in British English), is the security and defence of a sovereign state, including its citizens, economy, and institutions, which is regarded as a duty of government.
Freedom of informationFreedom of information is the freedom of a person or people to publish and have access to information. Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights provides for the right to "receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers", while access to information encompasses the ability of an individual to seek, receive and impart information effectively.
KnowledgeAwareness of facts, or competencyThe owl of Athena, a symbol of knowledge in the Western worldKnowledge is an awareness of facts (descriptive knowledge), a familiarity with individuals and situations (knowledge by acquaintance), or a practical skill (procedural knowledge). Descriptive knowledge, also called propositional knowledge, is often characterized as true belief that is distinct from opinion or guesswork by virtue of justification.
Criminal recordThe criminal record for Al Capone from 1932A criminal record (not to be confused with a police record or arrest record) is a record of a person's criminal convictions history. The information included in a criminal record, and the existence of a criminal record, varies between countries and even between jurisdictions within a country. In most cases it lists all non-expunged criminal offences and may also include traffic offences such as speeding and drunk driving.*As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.