Whatever Happened to Confidentiality?

A government that can peer into your medical file, your legal records, your spiritual life, and your finances without resistance is not a guardian of rights but rather an overlord. 

Jim Cardoza | March 12, 2026

In a free society, confidentiality is more than a courtesy; it is a fundamental pillar of trust. Whether in the examining room, the attorney’s office, or the confessional booth, certain relationships have long been protected by a simple principle: what is said in confidence stays in confidence. This was a recognition that certain professional relationships can only properly function when insulated from surveillance and coercion. However, in modern America, these sacred trusts are under relentless attack by government mandates, digital intrusions, and public policies which promote government control at the expense of individual liberty.

Consider the doctor-patient relationship, once understood to be unassailable. Patients could share their most intimate concerns with the confidence that their disclosures would remain private. That allowed doctors to diagnose and treat without fear that their patients would withhold critical information. But today, that trust no longer exists. 

Government reporting mandates now require doctors to report a growing list of health information, sometimes under penalty of law. These electronic health records are often linked to databases accessible by government officials and third-party contractors. In some states, physicians are compelled to........

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