keeping PUBLIC info public

[secret...@wikileaks.hm]

As time goes by, regulations change, and "public" information somehow
ceases to be "public". Restrictions on the disclosure of the contents
of public information impede access to it. Sometimes this is done in
the name of preventing identity theft, or for personal privacy
reasons, but the information is already public.

We've seen how the European Union invented a right to be forgotten.
What next, a book search, as in George Orwell's novel, 1984?

When I get spam emails, especially of the pattern of Nigerian cash
scams, I reply to them that they could do better by capturing large
amounts of public information and broadcasting it on the internet from
their country. Obviously, they are beyond the reach of law
enforcement. If they are in a desperately poor country, their new
website could have ads for local products, to boost trade.

In Virginia, U.S.A., the list of registered voters was public
information AND included every voter's name, address, etc., and social
security number. In 1994, a court ruled that including social security
numbers on the public list unduly burdened the right to vote. Imagine
if you still had a copy of the pre-1994 list, and posted it on the
internet today.

The real problem in identity theft is, banksters who are sloppy and
open accounts for anybody who phones in and claims to be you.

When you get fraudulent emails such as phishing and such, do encourage
them to capture and post and preserve forever the material that is
available today. This includes some U.S.A. State voter lists where the
state imposes restrictions on commercial use. In Pennsylvania, U.S.A.,
the law specifically forbids posting info from the voter list on the
internet. How can they prosecute somebody in Nigeria?