This Has Got To Stop

It transpires that the Orange County, California court system is having traffic tickets processed by a contractor at an office in Nogales, Mexico.

Let's connect the dots: We have a major illegal immigration problem vis-a-vis Mexico...illegal immigrants routinely commit identity theft...the court is sending driver's license numbers, birthdates, addresses, and other personal identifying information of countless Americans to the company in Mexico...a country which is also known for having corrupt law enforcement (so why are we supposed to be reassured that employees are "certified" by the Sonoran State Police?).

And yet we're supposed to believe that all of the personal data being sent to Mexico is secure? Given the history of Mexican law enforcement, it's quite reasonable to suspect bribes could take care of employees being "certified" by the police.

What's particularly troubling is that the people whose data is going to Mexico are not consumers who have made a personal decision that the benefits of, say, doing business with a Mexican company outweigh any risks. The people whose data is at risk have absolutely no say in the matter.

Companies outsource to other countries all the time, but this kind of personal data going to this particular country at this particular time is a Very Bad Decision.