Privacy, Security and Identity theft
Local school districts could be giving your child's personal information to a third party without your permission!
by Cheryl Baumgartner Medical Billing/Coding/Insurance
Cheryl Baumgartner 
Medical...
The State of Texas has shown a serious lack of common sense. While we probably have the most determined Attorney General in the U.S. when it comes to enforcing information security the other parts of the government leave something to be desired.
As if deciding that court clerks can give our personal information to anyone who asks for it through paperwork filed with the courts wasn't enough, a company called OZ Systems has been given $2.3 million to create databases of preschool and kindergarten student records.
In addition to test scores (why are we testing 3 - 6 year olds anyway) the records contain
Names
Social Security Numbers
Gender
Date of birth
Parent's names
School identification numbers
Addresses
Let's hope this company actually manages to keep this information safe (That's not the horse I would bet on). Because these records not only put these children at risk of identity theft but let me go out on a limb here and take it a step farther. How many pedophiles would pay for information like this?
And last but not least, this information is being given to this company without the parents permission! Good thing I don't have a school aged child in Texas because the state would be getting an earful from me!
Jan 17th 2008 13:34
Medical...The State of Texas has shown a serious lack of common sense. While we probably have the most determined Attorney General in the U.S. when it comes to enforcing information security the other parts of the government leave something to be desired.
As if deciding that court clerks can give our personal information to anyone who asks for it through paperwork filed with the courts wasn't enough, a company called OZ Systems has been given $2.3 million to create databases of preschool and kindergarten student records.
In addition to test scores (why are we testing 3 - 6 year olds anyway) the records contain
Names
Social Security Numbers
Gender
Date of birth
Parent's names
School identification numbers
Addresses
Let's hope this company actually manages to keep this information safe (That's not the horse I would bet on). Because these records not only put these children at risk of identity theft but let me go out on a limb here and take it a step farther. How many pedophiles would pay for information like this?
And last but not least, this information is being given to this company without the parents permission! Good thing I don't have a school aged child in Texas because the state would be getting an earful from me!
Jan 17th 2008 13:34
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Comments
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Cheryl Baumgartner
Medical Billing/Coding/InsuranceSo was everyone else I guess. But they are not only allowing this but encouraging it under the guise of "furthering education". This is something that was not very well known until recently. The law is becoming very selective when it comes to children. More power is given to the state at the expense of the parents. Not only do they have this program in place but they also have available on the web a list of participating classes organized by city school and teacher's name! Jan 17th 2008 22:00 |
And is this legal to collect information on minors?
I know in recent years Texas has become a little bit "special" in the way they deal with thing, but I was under the, apparently misguided impression, that minors were protected by LAW.
Jan 17th 2008 21:23