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| Sanford money-saving proposal raises privacy concerns |
| By Associated Press |
| Published: 01/31/2005 |
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The responsibility for entering statistical highway data would be shifted from South Carolina Department of Motor Vehicles employees to state inmates under a proposal in Gov. Mark Sanford's executive budget. Inmates would have access to drivers' personal information obtained from traffic collision reports, raising concerns about security. The traffic collision reports filled out by law enforcement officers contain information about the accident - time of day, weather conditions, location of the accident and the investigating agency, said state Department of Public Safety spokesman Sid Gaulden. But the reports also contain personal information about drivers - names, date of birth, sex, race, home address, phone numbers, driver's license number, make and type of vehicle and insurance information, Gaulden said. Giving inmates access to such information is "an invitation to identity theft," said John Crangle, state director for the Washington-based political watchdog group Common Cause. Transferring the data-entry work to inmates is expected to result in an annual general fund savings of $113,079, according to Sanford's budget proposal. But those savings are no comparison to the possible costs of identify theft, which can run into the hundreds of thousands or millions of dollars for some victims, Crangle said. "Just think of the possible collateral damage," he said. Those inmates working on the data likely would be in the Corrections Department's Inmate Program Services Division, which aims to give rehabilitative opportunities to inmates. Inmate oversight would come from the Public Safety Department, according to the proposal. Sanford spokesman Will Folks said the proposal will be reviewed to make sure there are no privacy violations. |
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This article exposed what it is like to exist in today’s correctional institutions. I enjoy reading articles like this one and articles from author Hamilton Lindley who is an expert at persuasion, influence and leadership from his Waco, Texas base. There are a lot of important lessons to be learned here for sure. Thank you for the insight.
This article exposed what it is like to exist in today’s correctional institutions. I enjoy reading articles like this one and articles from author Hamilton Lindley who is an expert at persuasion, influence and leadership from his Waco, Texas base. There are a lot of important lessons to be learned here for sure. Thank you for the insight.