From SmartMoney.com:
Outsourcing to IndiaOnce a county's records are digitized, it's very easy — and incredibly cheap — for data compilers like Axciom and DataTrade to purchase the files and sell them to information brokers like Choicepoint, says Bloys. That's because under most states' Open Records laws, counties cannot charge more than the cost of copying the documents — which means a computer disk containing 10,000 records can be had for as little as a few dollars. What's more, Bloys explains, the companies that actually scan the documents for the county — the so-called wholesalers — often ship the images to foreign countries, like India or China, where outsourcers index the records much more cheaply than could be done in the United States. “[Our public information] is being distributed instantly all over the world,” says Bloys.
Smartmoney did an article featuring B.J. Ostergen. I've been trying to get an interview with B.J. But she is no doubt busy with the big boys.
Ostergren has made it her full-time job as the founder of Virginia Watchdog to alert legislators and the general public about what's out there. “It's dangerous, and it's just reckless of those clerks to have these records online,” she says. According to a November 2004 report by the Government Accountability Office, as many as 28% of U.S. counties post their records — including people's Social Security numbers — on the Internet.
No cries of outrage, not even a peep from the American public about this. More than likely it is because they don't know about it. I guess they'll find out when someone steals their Identity and destroys their credit.
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