This pains me greatly. I see everyone getting bent out of shape over some names in a newspaper, yet no real discussion of what appears to be a far more invasive list supplied by North Carolina.
http://thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=410914
This database appears to have medical information, alcohol and drug abuse information, drivers license numbers, home phone numbers, dates of birth and addresses. There might be more.
It appears as if those responsible for the site have removed a vast amount of information about normal folks, but post a lot of information about local celebs and public figures. Judging from the "nothing to see here" responses in the above thread, it seems the only way to get people motivated about this problem would be to disclose everything about everyone. As someone (and the wife, too) who is on the North Carolina list, I find this bothersome.
I'm sure Dale Earnhardt's widow feels the same way. Her CHP details are posted on the site:
http://www.notconcealed.com/search.php?PermitNumber=4afa20b93bb60d98935aacca23302e1d
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On another note, I don't see anything technically wrong with the newspaper publishing the list since the information is public record. In my county, my personal details are already available online. There's pictures of my house along with the purchase information and address on the county website. Someone could look up the details on my vehicles, boat and RV as well. I'd suspect any lawsuits arising from the disclosure of any public record wouldn't make it past a motion hearing. Having said that...
.. this newspaper is a commercial enterprise. They are sunk without advertising revenue. If it were me, I'd contact the advertisers and let them know they're supporting this newspaper and, as such, I will not be supporting the advertisers with my hard-earned dollars. This is exactly the avenue the VCDL took with the Roanoke Times... and it worked.
