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While publishing the records on the Internet and selling them in bulk may save some local businesses, attorneys, and midnight snoopers a trip across town, it provides others around the world with access to the very same information.
When asked by KHOU-TV news reporter Shern-Min Chow why Wilson had placed the records online, she replied, “Because they are scanned and cannot be altered, I could be charged with tampering with a government record.”
While this may be true, the real question is why have you put the documents online at all? Texas law does not require county clerks to digitize the records or publish them over the Internet.
Earlier this year, SmartMoney.com published “Your Social Security Number Is Just A Click Away.” The article identified companies and government agencies that offer Social Security numbers and other sensitive information available over the Internet. Fort Bend County Clerk Dianne Wilson topped the list under the heading – Meet the Stalkers.
The Texas Constitution promises, “The people shall be secure in their persons, houses, papers and possessions, from all unreasonable seizures or searches." County governments’ worldwide distribution and bulk sale of our documents via the Internet strips whole communities of their dignity, privacy and security. Americans deserve better from their local government officials as this action allows whole communities to be strip-searched by strangers in cyberspace.
To learn more about this issue and to view the unabridged article, please visit Bloys’ Website.
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