"The laws were meant to prevent misuse of power in the case of corruption. And the chance of data leaks or private corporations getting ahold of it and them misusing it," Verity says, trying to remember what the examples she learned in school were.
"Before our laws were in place, people were getting outed as gay for going to lgbt clubs or resource groups. Not being straight was illegal some places of the old world for a while, and even after the governments changed it took awhile for the people to do so - family or bosses would find out and people would get fired or kicked out of their homes. Similar for other things, if someone supported a party in a democracy that was threatening the current majority they would 'happen' to get arrested for long enough to miss a vote or lose their jobs or reputations, even if they were found not guilty afterwards. Or people on government assistance getting it taken away if it showed they were dating someone with a job, since that meant they 'didn't need help any more.' Or having medical bills increased or medical insurance cancelled if you visited an ice cream shop too often, or getting fired preemptively if certain diseases turn out to run in your family and the employer didn't want to deal with the absences or costs.
"Some places on the ship like the engines have cameras and require cards to enter, but people can't be forced to go there. Things like internet and public transport can't keep records at all. Medical records and money information is highly confidential."