Rome Sentinel
Published: January 27, 2007

County clerk was right to take records off web

I expected the Utica newspaper to demand that county property records be returned online immediately, but I was disappointed to see the Daily Sentinel follow suit. To make matters worse, you engaged in childish name-calling, referring to Ms. Sandra DePerno as a Luddite. That’s elementary schoolyard behavior and you should be ashamed.
When the previous county clerk placed all this information on the Internet, taxpayers across the county were outraged. He had to hold local meetings to attempt to justify his action, and his elaborate presentation was prepared courtesy of those same taxpayers. You should have been asking how much money was wasted scanning those three million records online when the law requires only that they be available at the county clerk’s office.
Ms. DePerno promised to remove these records from the Internet, and voters elected her by a large margin. How refreshing it was to see a politician actually fulfill a campaign promise. That’s democracy in action! You claim she did not explain how access to public records, many containing Social Security numbers, violated and threatened one’s privacy. What planet were you on while this controversy was raging? Then you insulted voters, claiming they were stupid and motivated by misplaced fear. I guarantee that if a hacker used your Social Security number from an online property record to steal your identity, your fear and outrage would not be at all limited.

The traditional property records system was not broken and therefore did not need to be fixed. If people want access to those records, they can do what they’ve always done — mosey over to the county clerk’s office. The exercise will do them good.

— Robert P. Twardzik, 181 Northwood Circle