This is, sadly, not a joke.
http://www.wired.com/news/politics/0,1283,36442,00.html
New Privacy Threat: Genealogy?
by Declan McCullagh ([EMAIL PROTECTED])
3:00 p.m. May. 18, 2000 PDT
Just when you thought there was nothing new to say about the oft-cited
privacy threats that Americans face, along comes Congress with another
worry: genealogy.
During a privacy hearing Thursday before a House Judiciary
subcommittee, Rep. Ed Pease (R-Ind.) said the growing number of
websites that allow people to trace their families' history was a
threat that called for legislative action.
"There are some commercial ventures now providing information on this
subject ... oftentimes genealogical information involves a mother's
maiden name, and that is often used by many as a password," Pease
said.
Genealogy.com, for instance, says it has 470 million names in its
database. It allows you to search someone's family tree using their
full or partial name.
Clinton administration representatives -- who were planning to testify
before the panel about cookies and industry self-regulation -- were
caught completely off-guard by Pease's comments.
"This is not really anything I've heard about yet," replied Andrew
Pincus, general counsel to the U.S. Department of Commerce.
"We're dealing mainly with commercial sites, and not these," said
Jodie Bernstein, director of the bureau of consumer protection at the
Federal Trade Commission.
Pease shot back that "a growing number of commercial ventures"
provided such potentially troubling information and he'd "sure
appreciate" it if the FTC would investigate.
To survive a free speech challenge, any legal restrictions Congress
imposes would have to comply with the First Amendment, which limits
government controls on publications and websites.
[...remainder snipped...]
