Governments existed before electronic databases. Databases do increase effectiveness, but effective government is not without potential downsides. The governme

Governments existed before electronic databases. Databases do increase effectiveness, but effective government is not without potential downsides. The government can be effective at helping you or oppressing you. Some kinds of databases intuitively seem weighted more toward one end than than the other. Most databases are a gray area that could be used for either. And a lot depends on trust, too. Perhaps you simply trust your government more, and perhaps with good reason.