In today’s world it seems that we have developed a society that monitors its actions by creating intrusive databases to keep a watchful eye on everyone from consumers to students to taxpayers.
There is no better example than the recently passed State Senate Bill 371, which directs the Board of Regents of the UW System, Technical College Systems Board, the Department of Public Instruction, and the Wisconsin Association of Independent Colleges and Universities to enter into a written agreement requiring the agencies to establish a longitudinal data system of student data linking data from preschool programs through post secondary education programs. The most troubling provision allows for Wisconsin student’s personal identifiable information to be shared with public research organizations. In this recent rush to pass state educational policy there is one certainty – the state legislature has placed the Wisconsin student body in harm’s way be creating yet another state-sponsored database.
Since 2007, over 430,000 Wisconsinites have had their private, personal information compromised due to mishandlings of state sponsored databases.
- Taxpayers Harmed – In 2007, the Wisconsin Department of Revenue mailed tax forms with Social Security numbers on the mailing labels, breaching the privacy of 170,000 Wisconsin taxpayers.
- Patients Harmed – In January of 2008, the Department of Health and Family Services and its vendor EDS sent out 260,000 informational brochures on Medicaid, Senior-Care, and BadgerCare. Each recipient of the piece had their Social Security number printed on the mailing label.
- Students & Faculty Harmed – Another breach which began in 2001, but was not discovered until August 2009 involved 40 University of Wisconsin Chemistry Department computers being hacked. These computers contained personal information, including Social Security numbers of nearly 3,000 students and staff.
- Legislators Harmed – In February 2007, 109 State Assembly members and aides had their names, Social Security numbers and addresses compromised when a legislative employee’s laptop computer was stolen from their car. At that time, Assembly Speaker Mike Huebsch said he believes insurance companies, banks and hospitals have good policies to prevent the release of sensitive information, and “The only leaking sieve of information is government.”
Will the trend of statesponsored databases resulting in state-sponsored privacy breaches continue? Apparently so. At an October 7, 2009 Joint Assembly Committee hearing on the shortterm loan industry; committee members and other hearing participants mentioned the potential of creating yet another database that tracks consumers of a specific financial industry. This is in addition to legislative discussions earlier this year to create database of Wisconsin foreclosures.
The Wisconsin Coalition for Consumer Choice (WCCC) urges our state elected officials to oppose any future legislative proposals that places consumers, students, patients or any other Wisconsinites in harm’s way by creating databases that result in future privacy breaches. More state-sponsored databases will only increase the chances of Wisconsinites’ personal information being stolen or misappropriated.
George A. Klaetsch
Executive Director, Wisconsin Coalition for Consumer Choice
