http://ap.tbo.com/ap/breaking/MGAGJMM2NUC.html Calif. Lawmakers Question Availability of Birth Records Online By Jennifer ColemanAssociated Press Writer Published: Nov 29, 2001 SACRAMENTO (AP) - California birth records - available online through genealogy sites - could be used to create false identity documents, a state lawmaker warned. But even privacy advocates admit limiting access to the public records won't solve the problem of identity theft, or the production of fake identification cards, such as those used by the men suspected in the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. State Sen. Jackie Speier said Wednesday she was appalled that California officials sold an index of birth records dating back to 1905 to genealogy site RootsWeb.com. With a few clicks of the mouse, Speier demonstrated at a Senate hearing on privacy how easily she could find information such as date of birth and mother's maiden name for herself - and state Attorney General Bill Lockyer. That information is often used by banks as identifiers for transferring funds, she said. The Department of Health Services sold the index twice this year for about $900 each, officials said. The state doesn't keep records of who buys the indices. "The index is a public record. We are compelled to provide that information" under the California Public Records Act, said Mike Rodrian, chief of the DHS's center for health statistics. Calls to RootsWeb.com by The Associated Press seeking comment were not immediately returned. Copies of birth certificates are available through county registrars or through the state vital records office in Sacramento, said DHS spokeswoman Lea Brooks. Though the state database contains "two of the three key pieces of information needed to commit fraud" removing the list might not reduce identity theft, said Beth Givens, executive director of the San Diego-based Privacy Rights Clearinghouse. "The vast majority of identity theft cases don't involve birth certificates. Where the birth certificate factors in is primarily where it's used by undocumented immigrants to obtain identification," she said. Speier said the fact that birth records are public "should raise some red flags" especially following news that suspects in the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks were able to get fake driver's licenses in Florida and Virginia. Terry Francke, with the California First Amendment Coalition, said other states have been removing public documents from the Internet following the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. "There is a fair spate of this happening," Francke said. In September, the U.S. Judicial Conference decided to remove online access to federal criminal filings, saying the documents would remain available at courthouses, but were too available on the Internet. Other government agencies have also pulled some information off-line. The Environmental Protection Agency no longer offers detailed reports on chemical plants online, saying the information could be used in terrorist attacks. The reports are still available at the agency's office. The debate over whether birth records are public records should be focused on if the documents "give the people the ability to keep an eye on their government, or is it providing access to people's personal information," said Gary Daniels, of the National Center Against Censorship.