Mike
Site Co-Founder
imported post
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20. Gasp! Roanoke Times agrees with VCDL on SSN privacy measure for
gun owner and sportsmen's records!
**************************************************
Last General Assembly session VCDL supported HB 2821 and SB 819,
patroned by Delegate Mark Sickles (D - Fairfax County) and Senator
Ken Cuccinelli (R-Fairfax County), respectively, to create some
privacy exemptions in the Virginia Freedom of Information Act (FOIA)
for certain sensitive personal information, including at a minimum,
Social Security Numbers (SSNs).
Unfortunately these bills were tabled by the FOIA subcommittee in
both chambers for "further study."
Right right now, if a stranger asks any state or local government
agency for any of a number of types of government record containing
your or a family member's SSN, such as a concealed handgun permit, or
hunting, fishing, or boating records, that government agency MUST
release the record and may not remove the SSN before doing so!
One would think this is a no-brainer, but after months of studying
this issue, the Joint Subcommittees of the Virginia Freedom of
Information Advisory Council (FOIA Council) and Joint Commission on
Technology and Science (JCOTS) issued a press release last week
stating that instead of creating an SSN exemption in FOIA, they are
merely going to recommend a small tweaking of state law to make it a
little bit harder for government to collect SSNs in the future.
Huh? What about privacy for all the records already held by
government? And those SSNs yet to still be collected?
And now comes, GASP, the [anti-gun] Roanoke Times with some common
sense in an Editorial adeptly entitled "###-##-#### is enough":
http://tinyurl.com/2uc7zx
SNIP
"A legislative subcommittee has been studying the issue, too, and
concluded the best way to tackle the problem is to limit the amount
of personal information government collects about citizens in the
first place.
If government only rarely collects Social Security numbers, there is
less pressure for altering the FOIA law.
Sounds good, but why not do both? Instruct agencies and local
government to gather Social Security numbers only when absolutely
necessary and require them to redact those numbers when responding to
FOIA requests."
Action Item: Many of the members of the joint subcommittees of JCOTS
and FOIA Council are appointed but are not elected officials - let's
let the 4 elected officials on this committee hear a little VCDL
member thunder:
Suggested Message:
To: senatorhouck@comcast.net,
district17@sov.state.va.us,
DelMGriffith@house.state.va.us,
DelJMay@house.state.va.us,
DelKAlexander@house.state.va.us,
SUBJECT: No more study - its time for an SSN exemption in VA's FOIA!
Dear Legislators:
I have read that you are members of a study panel regarding Social
Security Number (SSN) privacy and are considering punting again on
the issue of creating a SSN exemption in Virginia's FOIA.
Do not waste any more time with a "study," but move forward with a solution!
Virginia state and local agencies are currently helpless without an
SSN exemption in the state FOIA, thus putting important gun owner and
sportsmen related records at risk to snooping, identity theft, and/or
other criminal activity through FOIA requests.
The federal government and many states already have an SSN exemption
in their FOIA. Virginia should too.
Sincerely,
YOUR NAME
YOUR ADDRESS
**************************************************
20. Gasp! Roanoke Times agrees with VCDL on SSN privacy measure for
gun owner and sportsmen's records!
**************************************************
Last General Assembly session VCDL supported HB 2821 and SB 819,
patroned by Delegate Mark Sickles (D - Fairfax County) and Senator
Ken Cuccinelli (R-Fairfax County), respectively, to create some
privacy exemptions in the Virginia Freedom of Information Act (FOIA)
for certain sensitive personal information, including at a minimum,
Social Security Numbers (SSNs).
Unfortunately these bills were tabled by the FOIA subcommittee in
both chambers for "further study."
Right right now, if a stranger asks any state or local government
agency for any of a number of types of government record containing
your or a family member's SSN, such as a concealed handgun permit, or
hunting, fishing, or boating records, that government agency MUST
release the record and may not remove the SSN before doing so!
One would think this is a no-brainer, but after months of studying
this issue, the Joint Subcommittees of the Virginia Freedom of
Information Advisory Council (FOIA Council) and Joint Commission on
Technology and Science (JCOTS) issued a press release last week
stating that instead of creating an SSN exemption in FOIA, they are
merely going to recommend a small tweaking of state law to make it a
little bit harder for government to collect SSNs in the future.
Huh? What about privacy for all the records already held by
government? And those SSNs yet to still be collected?
And now comes, GASP, the [anti-gun] Roanoke Times with some common
sense in an Editorial adeptly entitled "###-##-#### is enough":
http://tinyurl.com/2uc7zx
SNIP
"A legislative subcommittee has been studying the issue, too, and
concluded the best way to tackle the problem is to limit the amount
of personal information government collects about citizens in the
first place.
If government only rarely collects Social Security numbers, there is
less pressure for altering the FOIA law.
Sounds good, but why not do both? Instruct agencies and local
government to gather Social Security numbers only when absolutely
necessary and require them to redact those numbers when responding to
FOIA requests."
Action Item: Many of the members of the joint subcommittees of JCOTS
and FOIA Council are appointed but are not elected officials - let's
let the 4 elected officials on this committee hear a little VCDL
member thunder:
Suggested Message:
To: senatorhouck@comcast.net,
district17@sov.state.va.us,
DelMGriffith@house.state.va.us,
DelJMay@house.state.va.us,
DelKAlexander@house.state.va.us,
SUBJECT: No more study - its time for an SSN exemption in VA's FOIA!
Dear Legislators:
I have read that you are members of a study panel regarding Social
Security Number (SSN) privacy and are considering punting again on
the issue of creating a SSN exemption in Virginia's FOIA.
Do not waste any more time with a "study," but move forward with a solution!
Virginia state and local agencies are currently helpless without an
SSN exemption in the state FOIA, thus putting important gun owner and
sportsmen related records at risk to snooping, identity theft, and/or
other criminal activity through FOIA requests.
The federal government and many states already have an SSN exemption
in their FOIA. Virginia should too.
Sincerely,
YOUR NAME
YOUR ADDRESS
