Counties want some real estate records off Web
states, including New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Illinois and Michigan. Technology that would automatically remove Social Security numbers from land records is being developed but is not yet available, company spokesman Joe Barrett said in an e-mail message Thursday.
"Essentially, if this is an issue, it needs to first be resolved by states and counties, perhaps legislatively," Barrett wrote. The state of Florida has passed legislation requiring the removal of Social Security numbers from public records, he said.
The incident raises questions about the availability of Social Security numbers through land records on the Web, S.C. officials say. Online access to such information could make residents susceptible to identity theft, officials say.
Though limited information about land records has been online for several years, scanning land documents, such as deeds and mortgages, is a recent process.
In some cases officials are just beginning to ponder the privacy issues that can arise from posting such information on the Internet, Forte said.
Not all documents include Social Security numbers, but mortgages and other types of documents sometimes do, and the clerk of court has no authority to alter public documents, land records officials said.
"Essentially, if this is an issue, it needs to first be resolved by states and counties, perhaps legislatively," Barrett wrote. The state of Florida has passed legislation requiring the removal of Social Security numbers from public records, he said.
The incident raises questions about the availability of Social Security numbers through land records on the Web, S.C. officials say. Online access to such information could make residents susceptible to identity theft, officials say.
Though limited information about land records has been online for several years, scanning land documents, such as deeds and mortgages, is a recent process.
In some cases officials are just beginning to ponder the privacy issues that can arise from posting such information on the Internet, Forte said.
Not all documents include Social Security numbers, but mortgages and other types of documents sometimes do, and the clerk of court has no authority to alter public documents, land records officials said.
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