FC: Responses to California sells birth records of its citizens

From: Declan McCullagh (declanat_private)
Date: Wed Dec 05 2001 - 10:22:23 PST

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    Date: Wed, 5 Dec 2001 08:25:01 -0800
    Subject: Re: California sells birth records of its citizens
    From: Linda Rosewood Hooper <rosewoodat_private>
    To: declanat_private
    Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit
    
    Declan,
    
    this is nothing new. There have been sites with free genelogical information
    for years. I once called my credit union, and told them about this.
    My concern was poo-pooed. So I asked the customer service rep's name and
    approximate age. Within ten seconds I told her her mother's maiden
    name. She was horrified:  "Who ARE you?" like I had some kind of special
    spy power. I think banks have probably known about this for years
    but could never publicize it without being liable for teaching people
    how to steal identities. sigh. Even my hippie-dippie
    Santa Cruz credit union continues to use "mother's maiden name or code word."
    
    Linda Rosewood Hooper
    
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    Subject: Re: FC: California sells birth records of its citizens
    From: "Michael G. Thompson" <fferretat_private>
    To: declanat_private
    Date: 05 Dec 2001 11:39:08 -0500
    
    Declan,
    
             Severals years back, the State of Maryland Motor Vehicle 
    Administration
    was going to sell the photo ID database it had accumulated to a check
    validation firm in New England.  MVA claimed that this would not violate
    driver privacy, but this was about 2 years after the federal government
    had passed the Driver Privacy Protection Act.  It was pointed out that
    this was a direct violation of the DPPA (I pointed this out to several
    of my legislators myself.)  This trend of developing another revenue
    stream by betraying the public trust is hardly new, but the efficiency
    of the systems these days makes it easier and more profitable.
    
    P.S.:  I'm a recent subscirber to Politech, though I have admired your
    writing for some time now.  Thank you for your efforts, they are
    appreciated.
    
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    Declan, the info used to be free 
    at 
    <http://vitals.rootsweb.com/ca/birth/search.cgi>http://vitals.rootsweb.com/ca/birth/search.cgi 
    
    and was a handy tool to check such things as one's true age. Steven 
    Spielberg got his 1st money from an ice cream manufacturer, by promising 
    him he'd direct a picture if things took off. After his great successes, 
    the ice cream guy mercilessly got shined on by SS, so he sued for specific 
    performance. SS said the contract he signed was invalid because he was 
    under age at the time. In fact, SS's DMV, passport and other docs said he 
    was born in 1948. Thanks to the available records, SS was shown to have 
    forged his own docs to insure "wunderkind" status, and the contract was 
    enforceable after all. Shortly after that news, the matter disappeared from 
    the trades (but the ice cream guy was able to retire, thank you very much). 
    This info is available to anyone, nationwide, who is willing to take the 
    time and trouble to get it. Easy web access is not necessarily the gating 
    item to fraud and false identities. Social Security numbers are far more 
    dangerous than date of birth and mother's maiden name. I mean, one's 
    mother's real maiden name can't be verified ab initio as a password anyway.
    LC
    
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    Date: Wed, 05 Dec 2001 11:09:17 -0600
    From: Bruce James <bmjat_private>
    Subject: Re: California sells birth records of its citizens
    To: declanat_private
    
    Most states sell Drivers license and ID card. for income. Each state does
    an *out form* to delete your informatin. IT is up to you to find eack state
    op-out forms. You mak *Block you auto VIN from beind accesd, but by any Cout
    order. I have does this and it reall have cunt doen on spam email. You mak
    be able to to it on line ort in person. Unlisted phone numers do halp. I n
    most states on you block your VIn, NO one make an inquireas to the owner,
    execpt the law under a couft order. PELASRE check you own state. Each state
    has it own rules. Please the Police still have acess, but not the common
    man.
    
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