Lines vary between public, private info
Driver’s license numbers, marriage records some of basic items available

By Chrissy Braden
Staff Reporter

Roger and Cheryl Cullen may not be familiar names to most people or even to themselves.

According to A&E television network’s “Investigative Reports: Stolen Identity,” the couple used the identities of 12 people by collecting information from driving records, which gave them the most important credit card qualification: social security numbers.

More than 40,000, complaints many including driver’s license fraud, were made from consumers and victims of identity theft to the Federal Trade Commission from Nov. 1, 1999 to Dec. 31, 2000.

Incidents like these question the boundaries between public and private information.

As of Oct. 1, 2000, federal law requires Americans to provide their social security numbers to apply for or renew a state driver’s license.

The driver’s license must have the social security number printed on it or embedded in the magnetic strip to qualify as federal identification.
Driver’s licenses are public record, but social security numbers are not.

Tom Williams, a former media law professor, said social security numbers on drivers’ licenses can increase the risk of identity theft.

“There’s tension between public information issues and personal, private issues,” Williams said. “It’s been acceptable for a long time that driver’s licenses are public (record) and should be, but advances in technology has given people a legitimate concern about their private information.”

Marriage certificates, divorce records, arrest records and taxes on property are all public record. Also, birth records — except under special circumstances like adoption — and court records that do not involve juveniles are considered public information.

The Freedom of Information Act gives people access to information about the government’s actions. Special circumstances such as CIA involvement or confidential government sources can give a government agency the right to deny a request for information. But the the agency must tell the person who requested the information why their request is denied within 10 days of the request.

Medical information, postal address information, federal income taxes, social welfare information and school records are all private information.

The Privacy Act of 1974 ensures people that government records about them are kept confidential.

The Privacy Act allows people to obtain copies of government files on themselves and request changes in the files with inaccurate information.

While the law categorizes information into public and private, there are things such as driver’s licenses that blur the distinction between public and private.

Owners, taxes and mortgages on a piece of property are public information for property records, but the amount someone pays for a piece of property is not.

The Jeanne Cleary Act, also known as the Campus Security Act, requires all public and private colleges and universities to make an annual report of campus crimes such as criminal homicide, aggravated assault and forcible sex offenses.

The report must be available automatically to all current students and employees. Prospective students and employees are notified of its existence and can request a copy.

Chief of TCU Police Steve McGee said crime reports are important for the safety of students.

“We put out crime alerts because we want people to know what’s going on,” McGee said. “We want people to think of crime prevention and know to look for suspicious people.”

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act limits access to educational information.

While school records are private, parents of students under 18 years old can obtain them. Certain academic records, such as GPAs, can be released to different departments of a school, public or private, which need that information to regulate things such as scholarships.

The Office of Scholarships and Student Financial Aid has access to GPAs to ensure students remain within eligibility guidelines.

Carolyn Barton, a sophomore English major, said she didn’t mind that the financial aid office has access to her GPA.

“It’s their job to check (on grades), and you have an obligation to fill your scholarship requirements,” Barton said.

Williams said anyone can give permission to make otherwise private information public, and technology gives people the ability to use more information.

“It’s easier to have access to public information these days, but it’s also easier to disseminate it,” Williams said.

Chrissy Braden
l.c.braden@student.tcu.edu