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Police (ab?)use of SSN's
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Date: Fri, 08 Mar 96 09:50:35 EST
From: Computer Privacy Digest Moderator
Computer Privacy Digest Fri, 08 Mar 96 Volume 8 : Issue: 022
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Date: 05 Mar 1996 13:55:42 -0700 (MST)
From: Aaron Zaugg
I recently bought myself a scanner to eavesdrop on just what sort of tasks the police in my area keep themselves busy with. I've become quite alarmed however at the amount of personal information that is broadcasted over their frequencies. Most alarming is the constant barrage of social security numbers that I pick up. In most cases, officers at a traffic stop or investigation will use driver's license number to do their NCIC and PACE searches. In some cases that number is identical to their SSN (DL numbers that are not SSN's begin with a letter). However anyone here in Phoenix who does not have a driver's license or some other State ID card is in for a little treat. The SSN number they give the police will be sent over the airwaves. Usually the dispatcher will respond back in a few seconds with that person's address, want's and warrants, DMV restrictions/suspensions as well as a physical description on some occasions.
In our world where its common knowledge that people can use a SSN, name, and address to take over another person's identity, I find it hard to believe the police would be so careless. Some might say that no one would want to use a criminal's identity as their own, but the fact is that many of these people who have their information broadcast have done nothing wrong now or in the past. They merely forgot to bring their papers.
Another worrying factor regarding the police's use of SSN's is the possibility of mistakes in reports. For example, just today I heard an officer give a name and date of birth for someone he was investigating. The dispatcher matched the date of birth with a driver's license (I can't remember if it was local or not) and warrant. She read the physical description to the officer. The officer proceeded to say he wasn't sure that was the right information. All the dispatcher did in response to this was to tell the officer that the record she was looking at had several other aliases and "did he want the soc. for him". The officer took the SSN (as well as myself) and proceeded with his investigation.
For a number that is not to be used to identify a person it certainly seems that the Phoenix Police Department (and I assume all others) have a different opinion of what that means. Does anyone know if this kind of usage is legal, and does the fact that it is being broadcasted (instead of sent directly to the officer's data terminal in the car) make the situation any different?
Sheeple Sheeple everywhere.
---------------------------------+----------------------------------------- Leonard P. Levine | Moderator of: Computer Privacy Digest Professor of Computer Science | and comp.society.privacy University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee | Post: comp-privacy@uwm.edu Box 784, Milwaukee WI 53201 | Information: comp-privacy-request@uwm.edu | Gopher: gopher.cs.uwm.edu levine@cs.uwm.edu | Web: gopher://gopher.cs.uwm.edu ---------------------------------+-----------------------------------------
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End of Computer Privacy Digest V8 #022
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