forwarded with permission. ----- Original Message ----- From: "Ron Bestrom" <RBestrom@earthlink.net> To: <genwisconsin@rootsweb.com> Sent: Monday, April 23, 2007 11:55 PM Subject: [GENWISCONSIN] Public Records >A couple of weeks ago, I attended a local forum that was presented by the > Washington Coalition for Open Government. WWW.washingtoncog.org . This > organization may have similar organizations in your own state. The forum > concerned access to government information and public records. Find out > and > become ACTIVE in their work. > > This newspaper reporter attended the forum and wrote his article as to the > lessons learned in the forum: > http://www.thenewstribune.com/310/story/39415.html If this link becomes > broken in the future, I have saved this article. > > READ this article. > > As we have watched, many local county recorders across the country have > taken records off the Internet. These records are a MUST for genealogy > research. They have done this in regard to the "threat" of identity > fraud/theft. The definition of Identity Fraud in a number of > jurisdictions > is taking anothers identity to commit fraud. Identity theft is taking the > actual identity of another person for a multitude of false reasons. > > Today, a very large number of persons (Mostly the elderly) are afraid, > fearful, that their identity will be used by the criminal element for > fraud. > They are fearful of any of their information being posted on the Internet, > as that would lead to identity theft of their names and accounts; and > cause > them great financial losses. But, they fall victim to someone on the > Internet just asking for them to give their information, "Phishing". > > Information on the Internet is the cause... This is just NOT, repeat, NOT > true. The main problem is not in online records, it is the credit > industry > giving credit to anyone that has a name of a person. I could get enough > information from your garbage or steal your mail to give me MORE personal > information on you than is available in public records. If I can't go > online to get information, then all I would have to do is just go to a > local > county recorder and get the same information. So, I steal your mail, get > your bank account information...or even those, almost daily, credit card > application mailings. I then just apply for credit in your name. Or, I > just go to a phone book and get your name and address and print out checks > in your name. I can also just print out a false drivers license in your > name and address. Any store would honor that. > > We don't need to hide records, we need to stop the use of immediate and > unauthorized credit being given to criminals. EVERY credit card issuer > needs to have restrictions in giving credit cards, just based on an > application. Every retail establishment MUST require proven identity of a > credit card or check. If you don't want to be asked for ID, then don't > complain if your identity has been stolen. > > Genealogists, you MUST become active in preventing local county recorders > from keeping information off the Internet. I do research nationwide. > Even > if it was State wide, I can NOT visit every county to see what records > they > may have on a family. I have found dozens, if not hundreds of family > members...supposedly lost over time. We MUST have access to PUBLIC > records. > > Contact your local county auditors, assessors, newspapers, state > representatives. We MUST fight for availability of records ONLINE. Soon, > these counties will be shutting off records for those even asking in > person. > The USA can NOT become an iron curtain for public records. > > Tell your State or County government representatives that they can > actually > SAVE money by putting this information online. They would not have to > have > their own staff do the research and provide the information being asked by > a > local person, or by a letter or email request. The SAME information could > be provided automatically. The Washington State Auditor, Brian Sonntag > has > even made the statement that hardening security is better than eliminating > access to public records. "I would rather see us respond to a problem > than > try to prevent one that hasn't happened yet," he said. > > We all MUST fight for open government records, at EVERY level. There is > no > "classified" information at the local or State level. I was a Special > Agent > with the Federal government, with 32 years of service. There ARE records > that just anyone can not obtain. These include your IRS tax records. > Your > records will be safe...until someone at the IRS decides to sell that > information. Or your bank personnel decides to sell your information. > So, > there MUST be a check and balance system to prevent someone just using > your > information...without someone actually contacting you, or questioning why > the credit is being issued to another address. > > FIGHT for access to local government records. FIGHT for Internet access > of > the same records. FIGHT for genealogy research. And fight for > restrictions > to use of private information without proof of identity. > > POST this on your genealogy sites you visit. > > Ron Bestrom > > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > GENWISCONSIN-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the > quotes in the subject and the body of the message