Privacy of personal data in computer systems is rapidly growing in importance. As identity theft has increased, the need to protect data has increased. Also, the sophistication of identity thieves has increased exponentially, resulting in increasingly aggressive attempts to obtain personal or sensitive information. At the same time, more and more information is being stored in a digital manner. Further, users inputting data may not even realize that data being entered would be sensitive or personally identifiable, especially when the entered data is combined with additional data.
USPTO Backgrounds
USPTO Backgrounds