There was a time when any personal information that was gathered about us was typed on a piece of paper and【B1】___away in a file cabinet. It could remain there for years and, often【B2】___ , never reach the outside world.

Things have done a complete about-face since then.【B3】______ for the change has been the astonishingly【B4】______ development in recent years of the computer. Today, any data that is 【B5】______ about us in one place or another—and for one reason or another—can be stored in a computer bank. It can then be easily passed to other computer banks. They are owned by 【B6】______ and by private businesses and corporations, leading【B7】______ , direct mailing and telemarketing firms, credit bureaus, credit card companies, and government【B8】______ at the local, state, and federal level.

A growing number of Americans are seeing the accumulation and distribution of computerized data as a frightening invasion of their privacy.【B9】______ as the computer becomes increasingly efficient, easier to operate, and less costly to purchase and maintain. In 1970, a national survey showed that【B10】______ . Seven years later, 47percent expressed the same worry.【B11】______ .

【B10】