I don't usually post straight press releases, but this one is too important and well-written to not pass along:

RPAC ANNOUNCES STOP ID THEFT NOW! CAMPAIGN WITH WHITE HOUSE PETITION

February 7, 2012- Austin, TX: The Records Preservation & Access Committee (RPAC) - a joint coalition of international genealogical societies representing millions of genealogists and family historians - announces the launch of its Stop ID Theft NOW! campaign with its We The People petition posted at WhiteHouse.gov.

Call To Action For IRS To Do Its Job
Each year, fraudulent tax refund claims based upon identity theft from recently deceased infants and adults are filed with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). The current target is the Social Security Death Index (SSDI) or Death Master File since this file, as found on numerous genealogy-oriented websites, could possibly be the source of identity thieves acquiring a deceased person's Social Security number.

The IRS could close the door to this form of identity theft if, in fact, it were to use the Death Master File for the purpose for which it was created: to reduce fraud. If returns claiming a tax refund were screened against the Master Death File and matching cases identified for special processing, the thief should receive a rejection notice for the filing.

Tax Fraud and Identity Theft: Genealogists Are Not To Blame
The House Ways and Means Committee Subcommittee on Social Security is proposing to completely shut down use of the SSDI by genealogists as well as other industries such as banking and insurance that rely upon its information. Such an attempt is short-sighted and runs counter to the original purpose of the SSDI: to actually combat fraud.

Loss of Access to SSDI Affects More Than Genealogists
The SSDI is accessed by many different companies, non-profits and other entities besides individuals researching their family history. Read More...

I wrote last week about the very real threat of losing all public access to the Social Security Death Master File, or SSDI. This would be a HUGE loss to anyone researching individuals in the U.S., whether you are researching ancestors, relatives, descendants of recovered military MIAs, missing heirs, etc. That's on top of the enormous threat to identity theft if this public database is no longer freely available to the many small and medium-sized businesses that use the death master file to verify an individual's identity in an effort to prevent fraud.

The Records Preservation & Access Committee (RPAC) has some great information for everyone, whether inside or outside the U.S., who uses and values the SSDI. For now they are encouraging formal responses to the Ways & Means Committee only for societies, but are strongly encouraging individuals to write to their Senators and Representatives. Since mail is often delayed, a faxed letter is even better. They also plan to launch a public petition Read More...

Yep, FamilySearch Indexing can now follow you everywhere. And guess what? It was out for the Android market first! But FamilySearch was able to quickly get through all of the Apple hoops, and the FamilySearch Indexing app is now also available in the Apple app store for both iPhone and iPad.

The new app is cool! Devin Ashby from FamilySearch let me check it out this morning. What's interesting is that because it is sized small enough to work on a smart phone, is only indexes a single field from a set of records. Generally this will be an individual's name, perhaps useful for indexing by name some of the hundreds of thousands of records that are only currently available only by browsing. It could, however, be used to index other single items from a given record set.

There are definitely limitations to indexing in such a small space. As Devin and I looked at the first name that appeared, it was hard to interpret the handwriting without any surrounding clues from the record. FamilySearch has the answer, however, because you can click to open the full record from which the name was extracted. If nothing else it is quick and easy. Index a few names while waiting to pick up your kids from an afternoon activity, or while in line at the grocery store. It's definitely less intimidating than trying to index an entire record batch on the desktop version of FamilySearch Indexing.

The FamilySearch Indexing app is in beta version right now, but free as is everything from FamilySearch so give it a try. You can currently find it on the Android Market as well as in the Apple App Store. Who knows? Maybe it will be the next great addiction after Angry Birds!

Last month I wrote about several popular genealogy sites being pressured into removing or altering access to the Social Security Death Index (SSDI) through the actions of four Senators in support of a bill by Representative Sam Johnson (R - Texas) to remove all public access to the Death Master File, often referred to as the SSDI. This is an extremely valuable tool for anyone researching 20th century U.S. ancestors, and loss of access would be a huge blow for genealogists.

This Thursday, February 2, 2012, the Subcommittee on Social Security of the House Ways & Means Committee in Washington, D.C., will hold a hearing on the "accuracy and uses of the Social Security Administration's Death Master File," which is a fancy way of saying that they want to discuss permanently closing all public access. In case you still aren't worried, the committee is only allowing invited witnesses Read More...