In a message dated 8/22/2005 2:52:27 AM Eastern Daylight Time, [email protected] writes: down. My half brother who I had last heard from in 1963 is still living at age 87. All this privacy stuff I find quite ridiculous Amen! I think they used it as an excuse to triple the costs of certificates since genealogy became such a widespread hobby. Our names, birthdates are on our drivers license; some have their phone nos. and ss nos. on the checks; names & birthdates & marriage dates are on the gravestones in cemeteries of people who aren't deceased yet; info. is on our taxes and so on. Raising the costs and limiting availability of the certicates is not going to curb identity theft.