Currently, it’s fairly easy to find someone’s personal address on one of Wisconsin’s online government databases, a troubling thought for residents who want to keep that information private. State Representative Joe Parisi introduced legislation to help keep Wisconsin residents’ personal information secure.

Parisi on the availability of home addresses:

“This is particularly troubling for people who are victims of stalking or domestic violence and have taken steps to keep their home address confidential, especially because the victim is probably not even aware that the internet database exists. This legislation will also help protect the privacy of other citizens, such as law enforcement officers, who have a legitimate interest in keeping their home address confidential.”

The legislation would prohibit online government databases from being searchable by name. Government sites that already have search-by-name capability would be forced to remove the search field.

With greater technology growth, comes greater responsibility for government officials and technology providers to ensure that internet privacy becomes and remains a priority. Technology growth is dependent on the consumer’s trust that their private information is protected. Wired Wisconsin supports efforts to keep online information secure.