Willis H. Ware papers.
Scope and Content Note
The collection contains meeting and hearing transcripts, background notebooks, reports, statements, presentations, briefings, and other miscellaneous records from the Secretary's Advisory Committee on Automated Personal Data Systems (APDS) and the Privacy Protection Study Commission (PPSC) that Ware collected in his capacity of chairman and vice chairman respectively. The collection also includes company files collected by Ware during his career.
Topics include: computers and the rights of citizens, technology and privacy, personal privacy in an information society, automated personal data systems, and the privacy implications of medical, credit, and other records.
Dates
- Creation: 1948-1997
Creator
- Ware, Willis H. (Person)
Language of Materials
English
Access to materials:
Access to the collection is unrestricted.
Copyright:
The Charles Babbage Institute holds the copyright to all materials in the collection, except for items covered by a prior copyright (such as published materials). Researchers may quote from the collection under the fair use provisions of the copyright law (Title 17, U.S. Code).
Biographical Note
Willis H. Ware was one of the original staff members of the Electronic Computer Project at the Institute of Advanced Study in Princeton in 1946. In 1952, Ware joined Rand Corporation and from 1964 to 1971, he served as the head of the Computer Sciences Department at Rand and became a senior member of the corporate research staff. Ware was the first president of the American Federation of Information Processing Societies (AFIPS) and received several awards including the Institute for Electrical and Electronics Engineers Centennial Medal and AFIPS' Distinguished Service Award.
Ware was chairman of the Secretary of the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare's Advisory Committee on Automated Personal Data, which was established in 1972 ...in response to growing concern about the harmful consequences that may result from uncontrolled application of computer and telecommunications technology to the collection, storage, and use of data about individual citizens.
The committee's report entitled Records Computers and the Rights of Citizens,published in July 1973, led to the Federal Privacy Act of 1974.
Ware also served as vice-chairman of the Privacy Protection Study Commission which was created by the Privacy Act of 1974. The commission devoted two years to its study of personal data used by government and the private sector. Its final report entitled Personal Privacy in an Information Society and the associated appendices made recommendations for protecting personal data.
Extent
17 boxes (15 cubic feet)
Abstract
Collection contains reports, proceedings, reference material, publications and correspondence relating to Willis Ware's career and professional involvement with the Secretary of the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare's Advisory Committee on Automated Personal Data and the Privacy Protection Study Commission.
Arrangement of Collection
The materials in this collection are arranged into the following groups:
- Automated Personal Data Systems (ADPS) Records, 1972-1973
- Privacy Protection Study Commission (PPSC) Records, 1975-1977
Acquisition:
The records were given to the Charles Babbage Institute by Willis H. Ware in 1980 and 2000.
Subject
- Ware, Willis H. (Person)
- United States. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare (Organization)
- Secretary's Advisory Committee on Automated Personal Data Systems (Organization)
- United States. Privacy Protection Study Commission (Organization)
- Title
- Willis H. Ware Papers, 1948-1997. Finding Aid.
- Author
- Prepared by Kevin D. Corbitt, August 1991; Stephanie Crowe, May 2010.
- Date
- March 2004, May 2010
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
- Language of description note
- English
Collecting Area Details
Contact The Charles Babbage Institute Archives Collecting Area
Elmer L. Andersen Library
222 - 21st Avenue South
Minneapolis MN 55455
612-624-5050
cbi@umn.edu