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Some Folks Just Don't Get It

Ed Rybcyznski posted an entry on his Title-Opoly blog about a piece in phillyburbs.com by Jenna Portnoy in which she interviews Fran Gaspari of Patriot Land Transfer and brings attention to the practice of online title searching. While Ms. Portnoy does an admirable job of reporting on the outsourcing angle, I thought the aspect of security could have been explored a little further.

I had to chuckle when I read the statements of Ed Gudknecht, Bucks County Recorder of Deeds about the county's rationale for publishing the records online. "We wanted to provide this information to the public, save them a trip to the courthouse, we have to keep up with the technology." As I commented to Ed Ryb on his blog, I think the fact that Landex, the company which engineered the system used by the Bucks county Recorder's Office, is generating $1,500 to $2,000 per month for Bucks county is more of a factor than the stated objective of providing convenience to the citizen. Even more amusing was this comment following the phillyburbs article:

"...As far as the records being on line, they have been on line for years, this is just a different format. Whats the difference, you can go to the court house and make copies of any record you want or you get the copies on line. They are PUBLIC RECORDS, we the people, have a right to see them. Bucks County is not the first or only county to have public records on line, most counties and states have some type of system online and they have had them for years. Where have you been??"

The very real danger that online public records pose to the private citizen in my opinion far outweighs any perceived public benefit. How many of our fellow citizens must be victimized before people finally "get it"?

UPDATE: After receiving a comment from a puzzled ActiveRain reader, it occurred to me that I should clarify exactly what I meant by "danger to the private citizen". I will be posting another entry detailing how criminals obtain sensitive personal information on their victims from public records websites. Stay tuned.

Posted by Scott Perry on 02/25/2008 12:52 AM

Comments (10)

ed rybczynski, phillyburbs, jenna portnoy, fran gaspari, online public records, outsourcing, bucks county, landex, public records, identity theft

10 Comments on Some Folks Just Don't Get It

FEB

2008

I am sorry, but I have read your post several times, and I still am not clear about just exactly what is "the very real danger that online public records pose to the private citizen." Could you please elaborate ? Thank you.

Thanks for your comment, Karen and sorry for the confusion. I'm new to this whole blogging thing and didn't stop to consider that I should have elaborated on that a little more for those who are not regular readers of my blog. I am talking about the well-documented instances of identity theft and real estate fraud that have been facilitated by the ready availability of online public records. I highly recommend that you read some of my other blog posts, particularly the one entitled 'Is "Big Title" Outsourcing YOUR Security?' I think you'll be very unpleasantly surprised.

Scott: First of all, I did not give you permission to use my name in your post... in your above update. Please remove it. Secondly, your attempt at trashing "civil libertarians" by using fear as a weapon is typical these days. I don't buy it.

Benjamin Franklin once said something, and I may be paraphrasing here. He said "those who give up their freedoms in the name of enhanced security, usually end up with neither." Thank you... take care...

I apologize for offending your sensibilities. I used your name because I believe in giving credit where credit is due. I have removed it per your request.

As to the Ben Franklin quote, I believe you are taking it out of context and there is actually some debate amongst historical scholars as to whether or not Franklin actually authored the quote you are paraphrasing.

Thanks again for commenting.

FEB

2008

Hi Scott: Thanks for removing my name. Now... regardless of whether the quote is Franklin's or not... the point of it is still true... in my opinion. Those who give up their freedoms hoping to gain security usually end up with neither. I believe this is true. Take care...

Karen:

I appreciate your comment, but again, you are taking the quote out of context. I simply don't accept the premise of the position that not having public records online would infringe on anyone's freedom. The records we are talking about here have always been, and still are, available for inspection and reproduction to anyone who visits their local courthouse. As I have said before, the Constitution does not guarantee anyone the right to not be inconvenienced.

If I'm an alarmist, then so was Paul Revere.

Thanks for reading.

Karen - I must come to Scott's defense on this one, especially since your comments have been so caustic. You are completely taking the concept of online access out of context from where Scott was coming from. As a Realtor fro quite some time (I read your bio), you must realize that real estate records have been available to be accessed by the public since the inception of the recording system in this country. The point Scott is making is due to the technologies we now have available, these records, once online, can be accessed anywhere in the world, exposing private information to anyone with online access. IMHO, access by the world to either your or my real estate records is not an infringement of my civil liberties - it is quite the opposite - it is an infringement on my civil liberties and right to safety by putting these records out there for the world to see.

I would like to share with you an axample, an analogy, for you to consider, although I am sure you will flame me as much as you flamed Scott. By having access to public records, the 19 terrorists of 9/11 were able to procure and make copies of the architectural blue prints for the Twin Towers. With those copies in their possession, they were able to determine the weakness of the structure in which to successfully bring them down, which they were unsuccessful in their attempt in 1993. I am originally from NY, although in MN since 1998. I am also old enough to remember when those building were being built and the discussions then (during the height of airline hijackings) to design a structure which would not be brought down if a plane where intentionally crashed into these buildings. However, the plans were drawn in the mid 1960s and the largest plane was a 707, MUCH smaller and less fuel holdings than the 757s that were flown into those buildings in 2001. Perhaps with this analogy, you may reconsider what Scott is trying to say in his post.

Thanks for commenting, Anita, as always, I appreciate your input and your support. Ms. Stone's response just proves the point of my post: "Some Folks Just Don't Get It".

Thanks, Karen, for the clarification. This is obviously a very sensitive issue on all sides. I hope you will continue reading my blog as I try to give my readers a new perspective on the issues raised. Perhaps once you are aware of exactly the kind of so-called "public" information that is available for worldwide consumption on the Internet, you may see things differently.

Anita: Although she disagrees with me, Karen's criticism was fair and I didn't consider it "flaming". Thanks again for your support and I hope you'll continue to be a regular reader as well.

Regards,

Scott

FEB

2008

Anita and Karen:

I am reluctant to censor anyone, but I am forced to delete the last three of your comments. I am sorry to have to take this action, but you don't get to use my blog to snipe at each other. The two of you are obviously strong personalities with a wealth of industry knowledge. I respect your views and welcome your relevant comments, but please, ladies, let's keep it civil.

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