March 28, 2007

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  NEWS: CA Sec. of State Pushes to Squash ID Theft

  California Secretary of State Debra Bowen is committed to making sure that Californians don't fall victim to identity theft. To that end, she has been integral in introducing several measures that will hopefully go a long way towards protecting constituents' privacy and keeping them out of the legions of identity theft victims in America.
  
  One of the first things Bowen did in office was shut off web-based access to the Uniform Commercial Code filings. By law, these financing statements and lien records are public record. They used to be available online, until Bowen discovered that many of the documents contained individuals' social security numbers – a key tool in perpetrating identity theft. Bowen turned off the ability for anyone to search, peruse, and order these documents by computer.
  
  Furthermore, Bowen has elected to freeze electronic sales of the UCC image database until she can get approval for all but the last four digits of social security numbers to be displayed on existing records. She has already placed a warning on the Secretary of State's web site that compels UCC filers to not include their total social security number on any files UCC forms. Currently, she is making sure that all incoming UCC documents have all but the last four digits removed, and that all records requested display nothing but the last four digits. Bowen has been vocal in her support for AB 1168 (Jones), to require no more than four digits of social security numbers to appear on public records at the state and local level, to change the statutory UCC filing form, and to give the Secretary of State the authority to reject UCC filings that contain social security numbers.
  
  Bowen is hopeful that this will reduce the numbers of identity thefts that occur annually in California, and set precedence for other states in making similar changes. Bowen took her current office in January after 14 years in the Legislature, where she was well-known as a proponent of measures to take social security numbers out of public circulation and give consumers the resources they need to safeguard their personal privacy and prevent identity theft.
  
  
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