Previous message: http://www.politechbot.com/p-02877.html ********* 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 ********* 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. ********* 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 ********* 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. ********* ------------------------------------------------------------------------- POLITECH -- Declan McCullagh's politics and technology mailing list You may redistribute this message freely if you include this notice. Declan McCullagh's photographs are at http://www.mccullagh.org/ To subscribe to Politech: http://www.politechbot.com/info/subscribe.html This message is archived at http://www.politechbot.com/ -------------------------------------------------------------------------
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b30 : Wed Dec 05 2001 - 10:32:30 PST