Do not pass Go, Collect $225 million
In my book, Privacy Lost, I talk about a privacy problem which is caused by unintended consequences of legislation. Big sweeping, identity-related procedures creates a dragnet that often catches many fish. A classic example was how tax returns were linked to student loan payments, enabling the government to snatch refund checks from scofflaws.
A new variation of this falls out of the cross-border passport rules that have kicked into effect this year. The State Department checks passport applications for people who owe child support and refuse to issue a passport until the money is paid back. $225 million has been collected so far this year.
Here's an unpopular opinion--I don't like this one bit. The easier that you make it for an identification system to be used for an alternative purpose, the less the scrutiny that is placed on its validity as well as oversight that it's being run appropriately. And of course, each additional organization involved in a database increases the likelihood that it will be rendered unsecure, ie; some 3rd party will snab the data.
I worry about this continued trend of cross data matching for any purpose, no matter how noble. This cavalier usage of data is why we have identity theft problems today.
Posted on August 15, 2007
