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Author: AGHatchett3rd
Surnames:
Classification: queries
Message Board URL:
http://boards.rootsweb.com/surnames.chant/314.1.2.2.1.1/mb.ashx
Message Board Post:
The whole idea identity thieves useing genealogical sites for info is way- WAY-overrated.
For some years, there has been a standing reward of $10,000 to whoever can prove it to be
the major source of such. To date there is no court case on file anywhere that it has ever
happened.
As to permission of living persons to talk about them- you have *got* to be kidding.
Kindly point me to *any* law in *any* state that says that.
Anyone doing business with a firm which uses mother's maiden name as part of their
security should run- not walk- to another business.
In other parts of the world birth and marriage and death records are open and they
don't seem to have a big indentity theft problem. Here in the states several states
have the info online, TX, NC, TN, CA, MO-just to name a few.
"Identity theft" is a straw boogie man. There is a world of difference between
personal information (which is not private-Dat of birth, marriage etc.) and Private
information (Soc.Sec. #, Credit card #, etc.) but Americans seem to not understand the
difference.
I've been doing genealogy for over 50 years and this new "Everything is private
and can't be mentioned" is just that- new, and imho highly overrated.
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