Writing in their famous Harvard Law Review article of 1890, Louis Brandeis and Samuel Warren asserted what many have considered one of the most cherished American values: the "right to be left alone." Yet today, it seems that personal privacy is under siege. Citizens are barraged on a daily basis with stories of corporate data mining, government surveillance programs, identity theft, and computer hacking of personal information. As a result, citizens are becoming increasingly concerned about their personal privacy as well as their privacy rights. The encyclopedia, the first of its kind, offers a comprehensive guide to various aspects of privacy throughout U.S. history including significant legal cases, events, laws, organizations, individuals, technology, and terms. With more than 250 entries written by more than 100 leading scholars and experts in the field, this inclusive and authoritative work will appeal to those interested in both historical and contemporary notions of privacy in the United States. Entries include: Cell phones, Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), Roe v. Wade, Spam, Thermal Sensors, Oliver v. United States, J. Edgar Hoover, USA Patriot Act, Sobriety Checkpoint, Bauer v. Kincaid, Carnivore, Search Warrant, National Identity Card, Electronic Mail, Surveillance Cameras, Wiretapping, Steagald v. United States, COINTELPRO, Drug Testing, and Privacy Torts.