An authoritative analysis of one of the most revered rights of peoples and cultures around the world-privacy. Canada is considering national ID cards requiring fingerprints and iris scans of its citizens. New Zealand police propose placing computer chips in vehicles to detect traffic violators. In Mexico, a U.S. company is marketing an electronic chip that is inserted in children's skin for tracking in the event of kidnapping. Is our right to privacy in serious jeopardy? Invasion of Privacy: A Reference Handbook chronicles the most pressing privacy issues and dilemmas from around the world from the 17th century to today. Shocking accounts of government and corporate abuse liven discussions of controversial topics ranging from high-tech surveillance and the collection of personal data to bodily and sexual privacy. The internet, a platform for free speech now subject to calls for rigorous censorship, and the global threat of terrorism in the post-September 11 era receive soecial emphasis. Readers will also learn about disturbing abuses of power by the FBI, including how it intercepted emails, misled the federal courts in 75 warrant applications, and contributed to wrongful arrests of more than 100 people suspected of receiving child pornography over the internet.