This must be an identity thief’s dream come true:

“WHEELING — Many West Virginia voters are being asked to list birth, driver’s license and Social Security information on open postcards and return them to the Secretary of State’s Office.

The cards are legitimate and “aren’t a scam,” said Deputy Secretary of State Sarah Bailey. She acknowledged, however, the open cards do pose an identity theft risk to the voters.”

link: State Says Data Request Not a Scam

After all the police agencies have warned repeatedly about protecting private information, especially one’s social security number, the citizens of West Virginia are being asked to list these data on an open postcard. Not only is it irresponsible - it verges on being criminally negligent. What a cavalier way to treat the voters! How can a state official acknowledge that a procedure exposes people to identity theft and yet proceed to put people’s personal data at risk? It is completely baffling… can identity theft be any easier?

Catherine Forsythe
Director of Operations
FlyingHamster

[tags]west virginia, voting, data breach, privacy, security, identity theft, postcards[/tags]