Personal Oklahoma resident information posted online for years
Technorati Tag: Security Breach
Date Reported:
1/9/09
Organization:
Pottawatomie County (OK)
Contractor/Consultant/Branch:
Pottawatomie County Clerk
Location:
Shawnee, Oklahoma
Victims:
Residents
Number Affected:
"Thousands"
Types of Data:
Personal information including names, addresses and Social Security numbers
Breach Description:
"SHAWNEE, Okla. -- Thousands of Oklahomans' Social Security numbers may be listed online for anyone to see and they don't even know it."
Reference URL:
KOCO Channel 5 News
Report Credit:
KOCO Channel 5 News
Response:
From the online source cited above:
SHAWNEE, Okla. -- Thousands of Oklahomans' Social Security numbers may be listed online for anyone to see and they don't even know it.
Pottawatomie County posts home sale and mortgage information on its Web site, but some home owners said the county is getting too personal about open records.
[Evan] I understand that there could be a need to post home sale and mortgage information online, but what purpose does making personally identifiable information available serve?
"What the public needs to realize is, for years, Social Security numbers have been used," said Pottawatomie County Clerk Nancy Bryce.
[Evan] Uh Nancy, all this means is that you have doing things wrong "for years". Now that you are confronted with the problem, you need to fix it. Having been doing the wrong thing for years is hardly a valid excuse.
She said the numbers have been available on the Web site for years and she can't black out the numbers to protect residents from identity theft.
[Evan] Correct me if I'm wrong, but the purpose of government (in this case county) is to serve the people. Exposing citizens to potential harm is not serving.
"Once it's on file in my office, it is public information," Bryce said.
Some Pottawatomie County residents said they're concerned about the situation.
"Everybody can get into it and the next thing you know, there goes your credit and your identity," one resident told KOCO-TV.
Legal experts said the exposed information could be used by anyone who knows how to get credit or cash advances over the Internet.
[Evan] You don't need a legal expert to tell you this!
Bryce said the records have been online for six years and no one has reported any problems.
"I don't think that's going to happen," she said.
[Evan] Where is Ms. Bryce's logic? Is this lady an elected official?
Bryce also said anyone looking to mine Social Security numbers can also go into her office and look at hard copies of the documents.
[Evan] Thanks for the tip.
Commentary:
Is it just me or is this crazy? How do you make sense out of such flawed logic? I am so baffled by the buffoonery that I am currently at a lack for words.
Past Breaches:
Unknown
Date Reported:1/9/09
Organization:
Pottawatomie County (OK)
Contractor/Consultant/Branch:
Pottawatomie County Clerk
Location:
Shawnee, Oklahoma
Victims:
Residents
Number Affected:
"Thousands"
Types of Data:
Personal information including names, addresses and Social Security numbers
Breach Description:
"SHAWNEE, Okla. -- Thousands of Oklahomans' Social Security numbers may be listed online for anyone to see and they don't even know it."
Reference URL:
KOCO Channel 5 News
Report Credit:
KOCO Channel 5 News
Response:
From the online source cited above:
SHAWNEE, Okla. -- Thousands of Oklahomans' Social Security numbers may be listed online for anyone to see and they don't even know it.
Pottawatomie County posts home sale and mortgage information on its Web site, but some home owners said the county is getting too personal about open records.
[Evan] I understand that there could be a need to post home sale and mortgage information online, but what purpose does making personally identifiable information available serve?
"What the public needs to realize is, for years, Social Security numbers have been used," said Pottawatomie County Clerk Nancy Bryce.
[Evan] Uh Nancy, all this means is that you have doing things wrong "for years". Now that you are confronted with the problem, you need to fix it. Having been doing the wrong thing for years is hardly a valid excuse.
She said the numbers have been available on the Web site for years and she can't black out the numbers to protect residents from identity theft.
[Evan] Correct me if I'm wrong, but the purpose of government (in this case county) is to serve the people. Exposing citizens to potential harm is not serving.
"Once it's on file in my office, it is public information," Bryce said.
Some Pottawatomie County residents said they're concerned about the situation.
"Everybody can get into it and the next thing you know, there goes your credit and your identity," one resident told KOCO-TV.
Legal experts said the exposed information could be used by anyone who knows how to get credit or cash advances over the Internet.
[Evan] You don't need a legal expert to tell you this!
Bryce said the records have been online for six years and no one has reported any problems.
"I don't think that's going to happen," she said.
[Evan] Where is Ms. Bryce's logic? Is this lady an elected official?
Bryce also said anyone looking to mine Social Security numbers can also go into her office and look at hard copies of the documents.
[Evan] Thanks for the tip.
Commentary:
Is it just me or is this crazy? How do you make sense out of such flawed logic? I am so baffled by the buffoonery that I am currently at a lack for words.
Past Breaches:
Unknown
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