Privacy Alert:

The Fat Lady Sings is pissed.

In a post over at the Dark Wraith Discussion Forums entitled Tonight's Edition of "Why I'm Paranoid", she says, "I'll see your paranoia and raise you one....Evidently ALL of our personal info is now posted online thanks to our county and state government’s idiocy....There everything was for all the world to see - our mortgage records, bills of sale, tax records - complete with SSN, home address and phone number, copies of our signatures - everything, in fact any good identity theft ring would need to set up a counterfeit me."

At the end of her well-justified rant is a link to THE VIRGINIA WATCHDOG which begins:
"Before you read anything else on this site, please read this... Then click here to see a sampling of legislators' and other's SSNs that have been made available via the internet already. This is happening all over the U.S., but why have so many states' legislators allowed these records with lots of personal information to be made available online? The answer: To serve a few lazy title examiners, real estate attorneys, mortgage companies, data brokers...and the "press" which has played a huge part in getting these records online in Va. and in many other states. Virginia's lawmakers passed a special law allowing it. Fourteen of 122 Circuit Court Clerks in Virginia are offering "remote access" right now to a veritable treasure trove of SSNs, minor children's names, mothers' maiden names, DOBs, digital signatures, and financial account numbers... and others are going online every month. Most people do not have a clue that a "governmental" agency is giving away their SSN via the internet."


UPDATE: (TRYING TO SET THINGS RIGHT)
Jesus! Little did I know that people would get so pissed off and depressed when I posted the above. Well, to make up for it, here's a cheerful little piece I lifted over at Mack White's Website entitled "The No-Work List":

"Hidden in the immigration reform bill is something known as the "mandatory employee verification system." Ostensibly this system would enable employers to verify whether or not potential employees are citizens or legal residents. However, like the infamous no-fly list, which prevents two-year-old children with the “wrong” name from flying, technical snafus could prevent innocent people from working. Naturally, there is a “solution,” and naturally it is even scarier than the problem: Give the government more personal information. The following article discusses this in more detail:

'No-work list' predicted: Employee verification system would affect all workers, privacy experts say (Link at Mack's site)

"I should add another potential problem not discussed in the article …

"Originally, the no-fly list was supposed to prevent “terrorists” from boarding aircraft, but in practice it has been used against peace activists and others whose only crime is non-violent dissent. Therefore, it is conceivable that the criteria for a no-work list might be expanded as well. US citizens opposed to the war might find themselves unemployable. One more means of discouraging dissent."

Reminds me of something The Dark Wraith once said (slight paraphrase): "We already endure great indignities just to take a ride on an airplane. Think what we might be forced to endure in exchange for a plate of bread".

There now. Feel better? Goodbye 'Brave New World'. Hello Shitbox Universe.