Personal Data For the Taking.

Observes that personal information is held in thousands of public databases and new limits are being proposed on Internet access to such data. How graduate students in a computer security course at Johns Hopkins University built dossiers on Baltimore, Maryland citizens using only public databases; Appearance of ChoicePoint and LexisNexis before Congress to explain their companies' data security, after thieves stole consumer data; The mounting concerns over data security; Conflicts between convenient access to public records and personal privacy rights; Details of the Johns Hopkins project, which was conceived by Aviel D. Rubin; Arguments of privacy advocates; Views of the Johns Hopkins students. INSET: In Plain Sight.