I have been a 'lurker' here, hoping to spot some info on my New York ancestors. The discussion on vital records access began just after I became aware of a situation I find very troubling. In light of this discussion, I thought it may be appropriate to request some feed-back, even though it does not directly relate to NY ancestors. I discovered on Ancestry.com a database called "California Birth Index 1905-1995". Entering my maiden name brought up myself, my brother, my children and 6 cousins. The index contains: full name, date of birth, gender, county of birth, and mother's maiden name. All information which can be used for identity theft. These entries were for births between 1956 and 1995. Ten of the persons in question are still living. I consider it an act of gross negligence on the part of the State of California and Ancestry.com to place such recent records on-line. Although it may be very common, this is the first time I have found such recent information from birth records so easily available. Feedback, please. Am I over-reacting, or would others be upset to find this information?

There is a paragraph or two on my website, on the lower part of the home page at www.ny-genes.com about this whole discussion. The Federation of Genealogical Societies/National Genealogical Society, and the International Association of Jewish Genealogical Societies has been monitoring and reporting on this subject for some time now. Check it out and follow the links for more information. Dick Hillenbrand On 3/1/06, Kay <lilboss@webcoast2coast.net> wrote: > > I have been a 'lurker' here, hoping to spot some info on my New York > ancestors. The discussion on vital records access began just after I > became aware of a situation I find very troubling. In light of this > discussion, I thought it may be appropriate to request some feed-back, > even though it does not directly relate to NY ancestors. > > I discovered on Ancestry.com a database called "California Birth Index > 1905-1995". Entering my maiden name brought up myself, my brother, my > children and 6 cousins. The index contains: full name, date of birth, > gender, county of birth, and mother's maiden name. All information which > can be used for identity theft. These entries were for births between > 1956 and 1995. Ten of the persons in question are still living. I > consider it an act of gross negligence on the part of the State of > California and Ancestry.com to place such recent records on-line. > Although it may be very common, this is the first time I have found such > recent information from birth records so easily available. > > Feedback, please. Am I over-reacting, or would others be upset to find > this information? > > > ==== GEN-NYS Mailing List ==== > Have you forgotten how to UNSUBSCRIBE? > Visit the GEN-NYS-L Frequently Asked Questions (And Answers!) web page: > http://www.rootsweb.com/~nozell/GEN-NYS-L/FAQ/GEN-NYS-L.txt > > -- Dick Hillenbrand Upstate New York Genealogy (UNYG) website: http://www.ny-genes.com blog: http://ny-genes.blogspot.com/