Louisiana Parish Coordinators, You might want to review this... Edward Hayden, LAGenWeb State Coordinator -----Original Message----- From: Heather J. DeGeorge [mailto:heatherdegeorge@writeme.com] Sent: Thursday, February 26, 2004 2:09 PM To: USGENWEB-DISCUSS-L@rootsweb.com Subject: [USGW-Discuss] Should we remove certain transcribed docs? Importance: High State Coordinators: please forward on to your CCs... Please understand that it is not my intent to set genealogical researchers backward. I understand the goals of USGW and have been involved in the project since our pages were still titled USGenConnect pages. I have transcribed countless cemeteries and have helped countless researchers who were at a distance. My professional background is technology and my husband's is internet security. I have been using the internet long before it came into mainstream use. I have always been keenly aware of the danger that is involved with genealogy on the internet. Do you realize it? Identity theft is the number one white-collar crime here in NJ, and I'm sure it's in the top 5 of most other states. And the lack of understanding about what is needed to successfully steal an identity makes genealogy sites a veritable pot of gold for identity thiefs. Add to that the growing number of "would-be" genealogists who are posting information at will--and some of it might be your own information. What if some long, lost relative found out you existed and put up your name, date of birth and parents names (including your mother's maiden name). If you don't find that scary, then I'm not sure you comprehend how serious this issue is. That's not meant to be an insult. I know that many genealogists are suffering to do research as many states are implementing stringent rules about who can obtain B/M/D records. I think there is a compromise between what they require and what we desire; but none-the-less, there is a reason these rules went into place. And I think we need to take care when we make certain documents available online. This project needs to take a stand on a national level to ensure that we do what we can to provide information while at the same time ensuring that we do not endanger the unsuspecting. I don't know what the answer is, but as of today I have already (amicably) parted ways with CCing one of my sites because I wanted to remove information that we had on the site to prevent problems. In fact, the documents I wanted to remove were copies of documents that the state vital records bureau had online and have since removed because of the rampant wave of identity theft and the ease with which those documents were used to further enable identity theft. I'm asking that a committee be put together to very quickly find an answer. For those of you who know someone who has had this happen to them, you have only an inkling of how it can ruin MANY lives from a single person's identity being stolen. --Heather Jones DeGeorge ASC, NJGenWeb CC, Somerset Co., NJ CC, Orleans Parish, LA CC, West Feliciana Parish, LA CC, LaSalle Parish, LA CC, Iberville Parish, LA CC, Polk Co., NC CC, White Co., GA CC, Livingston Co., NY CC, Morgan Co., CO CC, Keya Paha Co., NE ==== USGENWEB-DISCUSS Mailing List ==== --Celebrate the USGenWeb Project! -- Can you identify? The H. C. C. Co. Office - Someone has written "Wiscon." on the back [post-1907] http://www.rootsweb.com/~usgenweb/wi/images/postcards/hccco.jpg ============================== Gain access to over two billion names including the new Immigration Collection with an Ancestry.com free trial. Click to learn more. http://www.ancestry.com/rd/redir.asp?targetid=4930&sourceid=1237