~ choicepoint data breach investigation targets the legal and business community ~

The continuing investigation into the unauthorized access of Choicepoint personal data records gets stranger. The Secret Service is apparently guiding the investigation, which is snaring, not Nigerian fraudsters or terrorists, but a police officer, an insurance company employee and a few PIs. Read the article.

~ senate committee considers financial data theft - again ~

The US Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs is holding a hearing, Examining the Financial Services Industry’s Responsibilities and Role in Preventing Identity Theft and Protecting Sensitive Financial Information, this Thursday, September 22 at 10:00 AM. Read the list of presenters.

~ missouri law criminalizes internet activity ~

A bill that prohibits posting certain personal information on the Internet
with the intent or threat to cause harm or death to a person is officially
law. Read the article

~ katrina displaced sex offenders list ~

I don't know who's going to be looking over their shoulder for a potential sex offender on the loose when people are still struggling to figure out where they can put their lives back together. In any case, the Louisiana Attorney General had time to put together this list of displaced sex offenders, which I think means, "we have no idea where they are". A more complete database of all Louisiana sex offenders can still be found at the AG's website.

~ telephone account information is confidential ~

A New Jersey Superior Court has issued an Order restraining Source Resources from selling telephone account information on Verizon Wireless subscribers. Apparently a customer of Verizon complained that there was an unauthorized access to his/her account, which prompted the lawsuit.

Superior Court Judge Harriet Derman ordered a permanent injunction against Source Resources Tuesday as part of a settlement between Verizon Wireless and the company. Source Resources agreed to cooperate with Verizon Wireless by surrendering records of its transactions and information about how it previously obtained customer records. [Emphasis mine.] Read the article [Somerset County, Cellco Partnership vs Source Resources, Docket L -001013-05]

~ criminal records site surveys - part one ~

You may see some similarity between a free index of criminal records and a fee site. Take a look at the formatting on the search results at the Minnesota Criminals Background (free reg. req.)free search and compare it to the display and content at one of your fee services. Looks just the same? Some fee-based databases of criminal histories provide content that is completely free at another private site or a government operated site. Of course, there's no free site that enables a search across many state jurisdictions at once, excluding the fledgling sex offender service. The Minnesota Department of Public Safety has a free criminal history search but it doesn't presearch the sex offender database in a neat package, as does the free commercial site.

~ nothing new under the database sun ~

There don't seem to be a lot of exciting new elements being added to the content or functionality of proprietary databases. Knowx has added a search tool it imaginatively calls Tracer. The descriptive information at the site is scanty and requires a "professional" level account (obtained with submission of a business or professional license) to use.

Tracer links individuals by common threads by spidering billions of records using KnowX's R.I.E.C.K. Technology. Search to obtain linked associate records that include addresses, AKAs, maiden names, ages, and more.

Tracer appears to search through only the Knowx databases for criminal, civil, real property and business associations, providing a list of databases where the subject parameters appear. The search can be conducted using first names, cross referencing with associates that share a common address. Then you get the pleasure of paying a high-priced fee for each database. It looks from the price list that a fee of $7.95 is also charged to conduct the search. If anyone discovers differently, let me know and I'll write an addendum.

~ conditions of work product privilege ~

The author of the blog Abstract Appeal notes that the work product privilege that extends to investigators working for attorneys does not extend to conditions where the investigator is listed as a trial witness. See the posting under the heading, Fifth District: Work Product.

The Fifth District reasoned:

The first order denying the Huets' motion for a protective order rendered February 16, 2005, was correctly decided because the Huets had included these investigators on their witness lists, and indicated they intended to call them to present testimony and evidence at trial. See Persell; Ellis. The controlling issue here, however, is the efficacy of the Huets' subsequent attempt to solve their problem by filing an amended witness list which removed any reference to the three investigators and then filing a motion for rehearing, arguing a change of circumstances.

And arguing that the cat can be stuffed back into the bag, the court observed that once the investigators names were removed from the witness list they were once again covered by the work product privilege.

That is, in essence, what occurred here. Having struck the three investigators from the witness list, the Huets cured the basis for the prior ruling. The trial court was placed in the position it had declined to address before. Can the witnesses be deposed as to "fact" work product? See State v. Rabin, 495 So. 2d 257 (Fla. 3d DCA 1986) ("fact" work product is subject to discovery only after a showing of need). Read the opinion

~ pi news link - blogs - google ~

Public records, free internet information sources and factual research are topics on the PI News Link blog, operated by Tamara Thompson, of interest to private investigators, attorneys, journalists and other information gatherers. All this is to say, Google has added a new tool that searches blogs with RSS feeds but, according to this article, the beta search only indexes the first few lines of text. Now you know all about my self-serving lead.

~ idaho secretary of state adds online trademark search ~

Search for trademarks and service marks registered in Idaho on the Secretary of State’s website. Search results includes a description of the mark, name of the registrant, registration and expiration dates, status, and the goods and/or services associated with the mark, as well as the option to view and print the original image and filing information.

~ find an early century West Coast immigrant ~

Use this online searchable database of people who arrived at the immigration stations in San Francisco and Honolulu between 1882 and 1955. Search by name to identify case numbers, and obtain the file at the Federal Records Center in San Bruno, California.

~ Georgia - Washington - Colorado seminars ~

The Privacy Foundation is sponsoring a day-long conference on The Corporate Perspective On Privacy, which those of you in Colorado may want to attend. See the complete details at their site.

The Southeast Investigators Conference, which gets under way in Atlanta in early November, will include a speaker on Internet research. More information.

The Washington State Attorney General is holding forums on Open Government throughout the state in September and October.

~ Ohio Supreme Court bars release of state employee's addresses ~

The Ohio Supreme Court has ruled that state employee addresses are not "records" but merely "contact information", therefore are not subject to the state's Public Records Act. Read the article. Read the opinion.

~ search for hurricane katrina evacuees ~

Louisiana State University has launched a searchable online database of Hurricane Katrina evacuees housed at the Red Cross Emergency Shelters at LSUS and Hirsch Coliseum.

And here's a site where you can search for Katrina's victims.

UPDATE - September 8: There are an ever increasing collection of lists and databases for and about the victims of hurricane Katrina. A good starting point is this site.

~ real property search online for north carolina county ~

Edgecombe County, North Carolina property and tax information, including spatial mapping, is now available online in a searchable database. Read the article or just go to the site.

~ reducing unwanted marketing solicitations ~

You've probably made a request (many times) to remove your name from the marketing mailing lists. You can also opt out of pre-approved offer lists obtained from the consumer credit reporting companies. [Notice from the California government site: Office of Privacy Protection]

~ more secrecy in government documents in 2004 ~

OpentheGovernment.org has released its 2004 Secrecy Report, Quantitative Indicators of Secrecy in the Federal Government, a slim, very readable pdf comparing the 2004 closure of records with prior years. Areas touched on are the Federal invocation of the "state secrets" privilege, classification of Federal documents and patents, the restrictions in public access to government committees and new privacy applications to state records. And the reasons given are not all under the umbrella of "terrorism", as noted in this one example.

At least 62 new state laws expanded secrecy in 2004; Only 38 laws strengthened open government. One new law in Louisiana bars the use of electronic scanners to copy public documents. A homeland security measure?

No, the sponsor wanted the government to keep the revenue from those copying fees.

~ cell phone number directory anyone? ~

The inclusion of cell phone numbers in published directories is increasing in Europe and a majority of American wireless companies endorse the development of U.S. directory. Read the article

~ riverside county online court index update ~

The Riverside County, California Court online index will now separate the family law and probate cases into two indexes, starting September 6, and all of the county's probate records will be organized into one index.

The court site will be down for maintenance from September 2, 2005 at 5:15 p.m. until Tuesday, September 6, 2005, at 6:00 a.m.

~ technical tip on sending web addresses ~

Here's a little technical tip to apply when you send someone a link to a web page. Sometimes those urls get exceedingly long, too long for one line. Go to DigBig.com (a short web address), enter a url, such as, http://www.forbes.com/2005/09/02/kodak-nikon-wifi-cx_cn_0902autofacescan08_print.html and get a conveniently sized url. This shortened address looks like this: http://digbig.com/4eknt

~ new jersey public records remain public - for the moment ~

After intense lobbying by open government organizations the New Jersey attorney general will now recommend a task force withdraw restrictive changes to the Public Records Act that were scheduled to go into effect in September.

Instead of specifically stating which documents should legitimately be kept under wraps — such as blueprints, security and staffing plans of train stations and chemical plants — the groups said the rules would have given town clerks and other low-level government workers broad powers to determine whether public documents revealed national-security secrets. Read the article