From: Marshall Clow <mclow@owl.csusm.edu>
Date: Thu, 12 Jun 1997 06:05:24 +0800
To: Ryan Anderson <randerso@ece.eng.wayne.edu>
Subject: Re: (Fwd) FWD: Texas Driver's License database on the web
In-Reply-To: <199706111929.MAA04945@toad.com>
Message-ID: <v0310280bafc4cc7b8ffd@[207.67.207.179]>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain



On Wed, 11 Jun 1997, Ryan Anderson wrote:
>On Wed, 11 Jun 1997, Peter Trei wrote:
>
>>    Did Psychos-R-Us request this site?  "Could you create a database so I
>> don't miss anyone when I go on a killing spree on the 900 block of
>> Rosewood?"
>
>The (very very very very very) minor redeeming factor is that you have to
>be someone with knowledge of someone's valid Texas driver's license.  So
>it's not *FULLY* available on the net.  Though, someone will probably leak
>a userid in the next week or so, and then anyone can use it...
>
>Why do people do these things?  (I wonder if publiclink is actually
>physically located in Texas..)
>
Why do people do what things?

Do you mean:
Why does the state of Texas collect this information and sell it
to anyone who is willing to write a check?

or:
Why would anyone take this publically availiable information
and make it available to the public?


When my libertairan streak is in full flood, I think that since
this information was collected by government employees and
paid for by tax dollars, that it should be availiable to anyone
who wants it, for (minimal or) no cost.

Of course, the better solution is to not collect the information
at all. (Not selling it just means that people can buy it on the
black market, or in the case of TRW, etc; buy legislatures)


-- Marshall

Marshall Clow     Aladdin Systems   <mailto:mclow@mailhost2.csusm.edu>

"In Washington DC, officials from the White House, federal agencies and
Congress say regulations may be necessary to promote a free-market
system." --  CommunicationsWeek International April 21, 1997