Calif's online birth records questioned (ID, privacy, etc)

[Khoder bin Hakkin]

             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.