It is about adding value, isn’t it?

I’ll come back to that in a moment. The D&C continues coverage of Cheryl Dinolfo and her office posting Social Security numbers on the internet for all to see.

Monroe County Clerk Cheryl Dinolfo acknowledged Wednesday that the Social Security numbers of untold numbers of Monroe County residents can be found on her office’s Web site…

[snip]

Dinolfo said her staff members have spent weeks searching some 15 million pages of such public documents for the numbers and redacting them. But she could not say when the process would be completed or how many pages contain Social Security numbers.

Aides said the search began in mid-July when the clerk’s office launched an updated version of its Web site and implemented new software to facilitate the redacting of sensitive information.

First off, look at the time frame. Cheryl Dinolfo started the search in Mid July. Look at a calendar. Mid July was 3 weeks ago when her office started searching through 15 million pages of documents.

Second - we can’t predict when the process will be completed? It is a simple math problem. Can’t we do math - the County Clerk who collects our fees?

Take the number of documents that can be processed by People or an automated s/w routine in a single work day. Divide the total number of documents (15 million pages) by the number of documents that can processed in a single day and you have the length of time required to clean up this mess.

But there is more now, Cheryl Dinolfo accuses her opponent of playing politics and practices blame shifting

Dinolfo accused Hasman of playing politics, but at the same time took pains in interviews with reporters to chronicle her own efforts to crack down on identity theft.

And this is rich -

She noted that signs have been posted in the clerk’s office since February 2006 reminding people that Social Security numbers on deeds, mortgages and court judgments should be deleted. If filers decline, she said, their refusal is documented.

Which goes back to adding value.

What is wrong with a county employee visibly scanning the documents someone gives him, noticing the social security number, telling the customer and offering to legally blot it out (marker, tape or some other means) when the document is scanned in?

Or, how about having the forethought to purchase scanning s/w that when correctly programmed, automatically blots out the section where the social security numbers are contained?

But that would require forethought and knowledge of how to protect your privacy.

Are you ready to give up your privacy? Do you expect your government employees to add value?

They have to want to first and that requires forethought and vision. Something apparently missing in our County Clerk’s office.