Title
AN ORDINANCE relating to the management of public records; amending Ordinance 12550, Section 1, and K.C.C. 2.14.010 and Ordinance 12550, Section 2, and K.C.C. 2.14.020 and adding a new section to K.C.C chapter 2.14.
Body
STATEMENT OF FACTS:
1. Identity theft is a public concern prompting records agencies to seek methods for protecting personal identifying data on public records.
2. According to the Federal Trade Commission, five thousand eight hundred ten victims of identity theft were reported in Washington in 2005.
3. Public records may contain personal identifying data such as social security numbers, driver's license, dates of birth, bank account information and credit cards.
4. The King County recorder's office is established to perform the function of county recorder in accordance with chapter 36.22 RCW, and is charged with the responsibility of recording instruments in county records.
5. Since 2001, the King County recorder's office has posted selected types of documents, including deeds of trust, on its web site.
6. In 2005, the state of Washington passed Chapter 134, Laws of 2005 establishing that documents presented to the King County recorder's office may not include social security numbers, date of birth or maiden name.
7. As noted in a Seattle Post-Intelligencer article on June 27, 2006, Social Security numbers can be found on some records posted on the King County recorder's office web site.
8. There is a need to remove deed of trust documents from the King County recorder's office web site until a plan is submitted to and approved by the county council by motion that ensures that deed of trust documents with personal identifying data will not be displayed on the county recorder's web site.
9. King County is responsible for the management of a multitude of different types of records as defined in K.C.C. 2.12.005.A. and 2.12.050.B. in accordance with state and county law.
10. As noted in the 2006 Strategic Technology Pla...
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