Recent advances in information technology threaten privacy and have reduced the amount of control over personal data and open up the possibility of a range of negative consequences as a result of access to personal data. A variety of information on individuals is kept in databases. These databases house information, such as social security numbers, credit card numbers, medical histories, family histories and many more. Practically, every organisation has a database full of information on everyone they do business with. The concern with this is whether or not they should be collecting this information, what they will do with it, how secure it is, how accurate it is and to whom it can be sold. Personal data is increasingly made available in online databases, which can be accessed by search engines. The question that concerns is: should personal information, like we discussed, be so readily availabe to the public? The availability of personal information shows no signs of slowing. Infact, courts and government agencies at all levels are increasingly making public records available online. Some find it troubling given the sensitive information contained in the available documents. For instance, someone filing for bankruptcy must disclose their social security number, their bank and credit card numbers, account balances and even children’s names and ages.One of the fastest growing crimes has been identity theft. Identity theft is the stealing of another person’s social security number, credit card number, or other personal information for the purpose of paying bills, using the personal information to do illegal activities using other person’s identity. In some cases, thieves even withdraw cash directly from the victim’s bank account. Since, many private organisations and governments keep information about individuals in accessible databases, there is an endless opportunity for thieves to retrieve it and misuse the information.