Conflicts Between Public Accountability and Individual Privacy in SEC Enforcement Actions

In the USA, as elsewhere in the world, the public interest in effective law enforcement is often in conflict with the public's concern for the privacy of personal financial and other sensitive information. During recent decades, the federal government has compiled increasing quantities of data on its citizens. This has proven necessary to determine who qualifies for various benefit programmes, to monitor compliance with anti‐discrimination statutes and to pursue various other social goals. In addition, improved technology has greatly increased the capability of the government to compile and retrieve information about individuals. This burgeoning governmental information gathering, however, has brought with it an increasing concern over its potential to intrude into the private lives of the citizenry.