Personal Record Safeguards- Cell Phones

Image via WikipediaWhat some people think is private pertaining to personal records is not always the case. Not too long ago if you had a reason to think your spouse or lover was being unfaithful a way to spy on them entailed going online to search or hiring a private investigator. And additional way was to buy a copy of their cell phone bill if you didn't already have access to it. In this way you could get a total breakdown of all of their calls, both incoming and out going from their cell phone. This was widely used by PI's and was a great way for cheating victims to find out what was really going on and be able to make informed decisions about where the relationship was going.

However, just like all things that can be used for good it was open to abuse. An example of this would be when the blogsters at AMERICAblog was able to obtain General Wesley Clark's cell phone records for $89.95. Now unless you are Mrs Wesley Clark this is an obvious abuse of an investigative tool. Terrorists could just as well bought those cell phone records and used the information nefariously and put the General, his family and even the nation at risk.

A Democratic Senator from New York, Chuck Schumer, proposed legislation H.R. 4709: Law Enforcement and Phone Privacy Protection Act of 2006, and S. 2178: Consumer Telephone Records Protection Act of 2006. These two laws were both passed and now make it illegal to purchase this type of information. The only way to buy these records now is to be the owner of the cell phone and additionally be able to prove it.

While this is a good safeguard and should help to protect most people from identity thieves and terrorists, what about the typical soccer mom that suspects her significant other is out doing her wrong? what recourse is open to her to now investigate him?

Well there are still some ways to obtain info from cell phones, ways that are considered perfectly legal. One such way is called digital forensics. If you are the legal owner of the phone you can hire investigators like EmailRevealer.com and have the phone examined forensically. Many people don't realize it but deleted text messages, deleted Caller ID records and deleted address book entries can still be retrieved from cell phones or Blackberrys and many other hand held electronic devices.

Another option that is open to the person who has suspicions would be to give a cell phone as a gift that has a GPS installed which will then track their every move. It's also possible and perfectly legal to do an online search of thousands of personal ads to see if your lover's email address is being used for online cheating. Doing a search online will find you a list of companies that offer these services.

Sometimes technology moves faster than the law, and this is especially true with the Internet. As long as investigators are being responsible and making sure these tools are not being made available to potential terrorists and are limiting them to only legitimate investigations they should be able to keep being used. This should help ensure that everyone can be safe from terrorists, identity thieves and cheaters all at the same time.

PR: wait... I: wait... L: wait... LD: wait... I: wait... wait... C: wait... SD: wait...

Birth Certificate: A Vital Document

Image via WikipediaGiovanni Jacopo Casanova once said about his life, "I know I existed, and I am sure of it because I felt by my own senses." But in the USA, like in any developed nation, you need a birth certificate to prove your existence. A birth certificate is a vital document that is helpful in obtaining a passport, visa, social security number, school admissions, sports participations, and a driver’s license. Although its utility is not limited to these aspects alone. From statisticians to the voting public, everyone may get curious about birth certificates and a lot of interesting incidents have happened centering around birth certificates.

For instance, what is the first thing that a person inheriting a million dollars from her rich uncle needs to produce? It is her birth certificate. She will have to prove her identity and relationship with the bequeather. These certificates are also needed for various other reasons such as the birth of a baby, including those that are stillborn. For the parents of stillborn babies, the birth certificate has a lot of emotional significance. Should the parents of a stillborn baby receive a birth certificate along with the death certificate? There was an instance of a sudden hike in the birth certificate fees in some states that led to strong protests in 1994. The fees were hiked from $5 per copy of a birth certificate to $15. Many felt that the $10 fee increase was unjustified. It was argued that the amount could have gone to buying diapers and other baby care products.

Age forging is an epidemic in sports. US sporting history is replete with such stories. It is sad when sports personalities mislead their teams and individuals involved on their age. While competitors attempt to hide their real age, birth certificates can blow the whistle on such issues.

In the United States, birth certificates are basic proofs of citizenship of individuals born within the country. A birth certificate can be obtained from the office of vital statistics in the state of the person's birth. It can be requested by Internet, fax, through the mail or in person. In many cases, individuals will request more than one copy of the certificate. Applying for a number of copies of the birth certificate will be helpful in using them for various purposes.