Reproduced with permission of The Journal News.
LETTERS
Posting data on town Web site violates privacy
Town of Greenburgh unincorporated and village residents beware. The Greenburgh Town Board failed to heed my public meeting warning that putting assessment records on the Internet would expose Greenburgh residents to pedophiles and other criminals. Without further discussion, the Town Board proceeded with its ill-planned global distribution of the data. Enhanced STAR recipients (i.e., senior citizens) are identified. Females solely owning their homes are also identified. Single-ownership combined with the Enhanced STAR data can be used to target single, elderly homeowners.
The data is a goldmine for telemarketers worldwide and a predator's dream. I was able to obtain a photograph and location map of a Greenburgh police officer's home and determine where a child in a Journal News photo likely lives.
The town's only response is that the data are public information. True. Much of this data are available piecemeal by visiting the assessor's office, but that requires face-to-face interaction with dedicated staff members who could identify those not wanting to be identified. To be removed from the Web site, the town compounds the privacy invasion by requiring a photocopy of your driver's license (which has your photo, date of birth, height, eye color and restrictions), which, once provided, is a public record, similar to the assessment data.
The Web site should be shut down immediately until privacy issues are addressed. Otherwise, concerned residents should insist their data be removed.
FRANCIS SHEEHAN
Hartsdale