Function creep

See also: Sayings | Function | Feature Creep

A process in which one tool which is used for a particular reason, is applied to a new, usually larger, set of purposes.

This term is often used in the context of government policy and law. The programming world also uses the term to describe software functionality evolution.

As copyright has undergone these sort changes it is a good example of function creep. It is feared that national identification card systems would suffer the same fate, and in the process decrease individual privacy.

(/Function-creep).

TakeDown.NET -> “Function-creep”