When a newspaper dredged up the video rental history of Robert Bork in 1987, the U.S. Supreme Court nominee became the catalyst for Congress to shield the privacy of everyday Americans against what a ubiquitous new technology home movie players could reveal about them.
Now enter David Petraeus and his email account. The FBI unearthed the former CIA director’s embarrassing scandal through electronic tracking and surveillance techniques that prompted American Internet users to ponder: If this guy can’t maintain his privacy online, who can?
