Charles Shiflett Column May 2, 2004

Who's Looking Out For You? Everyone!

I know when you last voted and whether you selected a Republican or Democrat ballot in the Primary.
It's public information and I have a computer CD with the details of every registered voter in Bartow
County. I know your birth date, your unlisted phone number, your address, and your race. With a
couple of clicks I can show every time you have voted during the last ten years. I know how many
other voters there are in your household and have all their secrets right here too.

You told your husband you voted for Bush in 2000? Whoops, according to the voter data you didn't
vote. You told your wife you've always voted Democrat? Then why does this handy-dandy database
show you selected a Republican ballot in 1998 and 2000? You claim to be conservative, yet by pulling
information from another source, I see where you have contributed money to liberal candidates and
causes. Hmmm - no donations to Congressman John Linder or George W.?

You say you're an avid hunter or fisherman? Sorry, according to another database, you don't have a
hunting or fishing license. I also have a list of every teacher, every farmer, every licensed insurance
agent, every licensed real estate agent and the list goes on - and these databases can be merged with
the voter data to gather some interesting individual and group demographic information.

Yes, I know a lot about you and others do too. You think you live a quiet private life, but you would be
shocked at how public you are. Everyday you paint a public picture of the most personal aspects of
your life.

By spending a few minutes in the Clerk of Court's office, I can find out if you own property, what you
paid for it, how much your mortgage is and who it is with. Been divorced? Yep, we know that too.
Been sued? Oh yes, it's right here. Are you a corporate officer? A lobbyist? Ever run for office? Just a
few more clicks and there it is!

There's other info floating out there that only the government or those you have authorized should have
access to. But a good investigator can usually delve into the innermost reaches of your secret world.
Wow, you sure rent a lot of x-rated movies! That's what the rental records at the local video store
show. You also seem to have trouble paying your bills on time. And let's see… according to this
marketing database you earn $52,000 a year and enjoy skydiving.

Facing a police investigation or lawsuit? If so, a subpoena will really open up your life to scrutiny.
Each e-mail you've ever sent or received is documented with your ISP (Internet service provider), as are
records of each web site you've ever visited. You got a thing for Britney Spears? Oh, and here's your
visits to the college dorm voyeur cam web site. And who is this HotMama69@yahooee.com that you
keep swapping e-mails with? Boy, this won't look good in court!

Now about those cell phone records - you sure spend a lot of time on the phone with a lady in
Kentucky. Does your wife know about that? And I see where you have several calls to (404) 555-5555 -
you do realize that that is the number of a known drug dealer?

Maybe we need to put you under surveillance for a few days. We'll monitor your two-way radios and
residential cordless phones. Of course the police sure would like to pull your credit card statements
for the past few months. You bought gas and ate lunch in Columbus on the 6th? Interesting! Wow,
and those residential phone records have more suspicious stuff than your cellular records.

Remember all those “privacy policy” letters you received from your bank, mortgage company, car loan
holder, insurance company, stock brokerage firm, and credit card company? Did you contact them per
the instructions and tell them not to share your information with others? If you're like most folks, you
probably didn't and now your personal data has been shared with other affiliated companies.

By now I hope you realize just how open your life is. Hopefully, you're not doing anything illegal, nor
are you facing a divorce or lawsuit. However with that many personal details floating around out there,
someone could play mischief with you. Having talked with folks who have experienced identity theft,
you don't want to walk that road. Call me paranoid, but if I were you - I'd pull the shades.