My name is Kim Zetter and I'm a freelance journalist who writes about privacy, security, electronic voting and public policy issues for Wired, Salon and other publications.
This is a blog discussing all of those issues as well as topics related to civil liberties, freedom of the press and the public's access to information about the actions of government officials.
Informed consent generally refers to a physician's legal responsibility to disclose the benefits and risks of treatment to patients so that the patients can make informed decisions about their health care. But the concept could equally apply to the kinds of disclosure and information that members of the public need to help them determine if elected officials are acting wisely on their behalf. A free press, of course, is crucial to having an informed public.