Does the United States Constitution protect privacy?
Only in certain circumstances is an individual’s right to privacy guaranteed or protected by the United States Constitution. The Constitution does not specifically mention “privacy.” Although there are a series of amendments that mention the various fundamental freedoms given to citizens, there is no similar “privacy amendment.” Despite the lack of a clear constitutional provision of privacy, the United States Supreme Court has ruled that privacy interests are found in–and thus protected by–some of the amendments to the Constitution. Not surprisingly, civil rights advocates have expressed concern over a purported lack of privacy given to computer users due to various types of software, including “screen scrapers.” These advocates cite the constitutional doctrine of privacy that has been developed by the courts. “Screen scraper” software programs can record computer data and user profiles A “screen scraper” is a program that automatically picks up data on one page or website and copie
