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The ACLU of Virginia today asked King George County to remove Social Security Numbers from county records now being posted online. The decision to allow Social Security Numbers to appear in records that are available to anyone with access to the Internet has drawn fire from King George residents as well as privacy rights groups.
“In principle, this is an important privacy issue,” said ACLU of Virginia executive director Kent Willis. “In practice, it is a matter of protecting citizens from the potentially ruinous consequences of identity theft.”
In a letter sent today to the King George County Clerk of the Court, Willis points out that the Courts are beginning to recognize a right of “informational privacy” under the Constitution and that some courts have ordered Social Security Numbers removed from public records.
“In 1993, the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals ordered the Virginia State Board of Elections to remove Social Security Numbers from voter registration rolls,” added Willis. “Several years later, DMV begin to allow drivers to remove Social Security Numbers from their permits licenses.
“We are slowly beginning to realize the dangers of allowing Social Security Numbers to be made public,” said Willis. “If the local governments in Virginia allow Social Security Numbers to be left on documents as they are posted online, we will have taken a huge step backwards in terms of privacy rights.”
“Online access to public records is an important breakthrough, allowing more access to government records by more people than ever before,” said Willis. “But privacy concerns must also be addressed in our increasingly invasive society. Fortunately, both can be accomplished here. It is just a matter of removing Social Security Numbers from documents before they are posted online.”
A copy of the ACLU’s letter to the board of supervisors can be found at http://acluva.org/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/20021001-King-George-Soc-Sec-Numbers.pdf.
Contact: Kent Willis, Executive Director, ACLU of Virginia, 804-644-8022