Citizens Identities in Public Documents

Contained herein is an article critique regarding exposure of private information through digitization projects that allow unrestricted public access.

The analysis will specifically deal with John Harney’s Protecting Citizens Identities in Public Documents that highlights how a County document preservation department dealt with the issue of protecting public information effectively.

In the understanding that exposing private data such as social security, bank account numbers and title deed, the Maricoba County Recorder embarked on an elaborative process of scanning and removing all the sensitive information from documents without diluting usefulness.

The County’s efforts are important considering the dangers of exposing such data to other people. Indeed, the exposure would make it easy for phishers to collect information that is later used for identity theft. Harney’s article is therefore an important eye-opener that it is possible for society to utilize new technologies effectively without posing dangers to individuals’ private lives. Maricoba County’s processes should therefore be regarded as best practices in digitization field.

This is especially because members of the public would be more supportive of such projects and therefore be more willing to volunteer donations and propositions. Such collaboration would help in the process of digitizing the millions, maybe billions, of documents and information whose digitization would improve public awareness on past and current issues affective respective society.

In addition, the end of public’s phobia of digitization and privacy will indeed be help in motivating technology makers in improving ways of improving security features further. John Harney’s Protecting Citizens Identities in Public Documents is in this regard an important contribution to the debate of digitization and information security.

References

Harney, J. (2008). Protecting Citizens Identities in Public Documents. Retrieved March   3, 2009, from http://www.infonomics-digital.com/infonomics/20080304/?pg=60