Subj:
Date:
.............ALERT
#2003-1............
ALERT ITEM SUMMARY:
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***Fairfax County Public Schools
Drops Student SSN Requirement***
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***National Issue: Medical
Privacy***
***Top 10 Privacy Tips***
Welcome! This message is intended for members of the
Privacy Notice: All communication from the
1.
2.
Fairfax County Tax Assessment Web
Site Problem Update: Inexplicably, the
County of Fairfax Tax Assessment Office hosts a web site that allows strangers
to search your street address (no town or zip code required) and find out the
full legal names of all owners (see
http://www.co.fairfax.va.us/dta/re/propadd.asp). This web site is the perfect place for
marketers, stalkers, and identity thieves to invade your privacy or even harm
your family - sort of a stalker's web site of choice. But thanks to
3.
State Issue: The
"Public" Records Problem
The Virginia "Public"
Records Problem Update: Unfortunately,
despite passage in the house of a bill (HB 2426, see
http://www.fauquiernews.com/021403issue.htm) that would have stopped the
Internet publication of you and your families sensitive personal data (like
SSNs, dates of birth, financial account numbers, and minor childrens'
names) on the Internet by government sponsored web servers, special interests
and the machinations of some state legislators like Fairfax County Delegate
Jean Marie Devolites (see
www.fauquiernews.com/02103issue.htm) and Fairfax County Senators Jay Obrien and Leslie Byrne killed this bill in the Senate by
changing it to merely require that people "register" for Internet
access to all your private data held in public records. Delegate Devolites
has led a special committee to study the public record problem for over a year
- and has yet to issue the report required of the committee by law! Clearly, she is the leader of an effort to
stall reform while your sensitive personal data hemorrhages into the public
domain. And now, the state plans to
actually sell the personal data of citizens who obtain boating, hunting, or
fishing licenses! See: http://www.opcva.com/watchdog.
Government should secure citizen
data, not sell it! Take Action! Let your local candidates for General
Assembly Delegate and Senator know that you want the sensitive personal data
held in "public records" not just taken off the Internet, but
declared NON-PUBLIC! See: http://legis.state.va.us.
4.
National Issue: HIPAA
Certain federal privacy regulations
issued pursuant to HIPAA (the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability
Act) took
effect in April causing the popular press to report a massive increase in
medical privacy. Not true says many
experts who maintain that HIPAA puts us all at risk by requiring the
digitization of medical records correlated to a unique national medical ID
number to which you and your kids will be tracked by private companies and
government agencies without your permission.
See the lawsuit being filed (Citizens for Health v. Thompson) at: http://pn.psychiatryonline.org/cgi/content/full/38/10/5?maxtoshow=&HITS=10&hits=10&RESULTFORMAT=&author1=+Bender%2C+EVE&titleabstract=Advocates+Ask+Federal+Court+To+Overturn+Privacy+Rule+&searchid=1053951330383_32&stored_search=&FIRSTINDEX=0&volume=38&journalcode=psychnews. See also :
http://www.aapsonline.org/legis/hr1699paul.htm and
http://www.medicalprivacycoalition.com/index.php and
http://www.medicalprivacycoalition.com/stophact.php. But you can take action! Click on http://capwiz.com/liberty/issues/bills/?bill=1966381
to send Congress a message to repeal the requirement for national medical ID
numbers. Also, please call the following
folks to ask for co-sponsorship of Congressman Paul's bill: Speaker of the House - the number is
202-225-0600; the Majority-Leader - the number is 202-225-4000; and the
Minority Leader - the
number is 202-225-0100.
5.
The Top 10 Privacy Tips Every Citizen Should Know and Teach Her Kids:
1.
OPT-OUT of "pre-screened" credit card offers by calling the
national OPT-OUT toll free number of 1-888-5OPTOUT - listen carefully to the
options (I believe you want option #3 - permanent opt out). This will dramatically reduce the sharing of
your personal information.
2.
VA Driver's License: If your VA DL still carries your SSN as you DL#, contact the
DMV to get it corrected to a non-SSN DL #.
3.
Checks - contact your bank and have them issue you new checks listing
ONLY your name, and the name should only list the first initial of your first
name, and your last name (no middle name or initial). Shred the old checks. Never write personal info on the checks
unless absolutely necessary.
4.
Credit Cards: Call your banks and
have them reissue your credit/debit cards using your
the first initial of your first name, and your last name (no middle name or
initial). Never show ID or provide
additional information to use your signed credit cards - this violates your
credit card privacy rights accorded to you by your credit card company. Don't use photo-credit cards - easier to stalk
you with. Carry an old card that is not
expired but canceled - try to give to criminals if robbed (they won't notice)
or provide for ID/deposit in those strange moments when local custom seems to
require it (renting a moped oversees, etc.).
Don't use joint accounts - issue family members "authorized
user" accounts but don't provide any information except the authorized
user's first name initial and last name.
5.
ID Clutter: Dump out your purse
and wallet and eliminate much of what you carry - carry only the cards/data you
need - never your Social Security card.
Leave IDs at home in a safe place unless you really need them; Americans
don't have to obtain or carry IDs in daily life.
6.
GLB: Contact each of your
financial institutions and ensure that they know you have "opted out"
of information sharing under the federal Grahm-Leach-Bliley
Act. Most home "utility"
companies have similar options.
7.
Stop giving out generally any information about yourself in daily life,
specially your "crown jewels. Your
information crown jewels are your: full name with middle initial, SSN, date of
birth, place of birth, citizenship/immigration status. Even be careful with your phone number and
address. Never answer warrantee or
Internet "questionnaires," and use a fake name and address (not other
info) for those frequent shopper cards at grocery stores. For programs you want to participate in, like
hotel or airline rewards programs, try signing up only in your first name initial
and last name - it usually works just fine!
8.
Contact the phone company and ensure your phone number in unlisted.
9.
If you own property in Fairfax County, email dtared@fairfaxcounty.gov
and demand to be opted out of the publication of you name(s) on the County
tax web site (http://www.co.fairfax.va.us/dta/re/propadd.asp). This is sort of a stalker's web site of
choice - ask your
10.
Start thinking about your kids' privacy - if they have SSNs, never give
out to anyone, including public schools or the family doctor (cite Section 7 of
the Federal Privacy Act (5 USC 552a note) if you are harassed). If you are too wealthy to take advantage of
child tax credits, or can do without them, don't even obtain SSNs for your kids
or report their names on tax forms - Americans are not required to have SSNs to
live in the US, attend school, get a US passport, get a VA DL (SSN disclosure
required only for those who have an SSN assigned to them), or even register for
the draft! Your kids can apply for an
SSN later when they want one. Teach your
kids about information security as you learn about it yourself.
Questions, or to be added/deleted
from future Alerts?
Contact Mike Stollenwerk at majstoll@aol.com.
Sincerely,
Mike Stollenwerk
Chairman