US  government buys private databases of Venezuelan citizen details

<a href=www.vheadline.com>Venezuela's Electronic News Posted: Monday, June 02, 2003 By: Patrick J. O'Donoghue

Concern has been steadily growing in Venezuela and other Latin American countries about news that US Choice Point Co has been collecting databases on Latin American citizens to sell to the USA government. 

According to a report issued by the Electronic Privacy Information Center (Epic), the USA government has been purchasing electronic registers of more than 10 countries in the Hemisphere for around $11 million. The leak came out after declassified State documents linked the US Justice Department, Immigration Services (NS) with the Choice Point Company. 

It has been learned that the Venezuelan Attorney General's Office and National Assembly are supposedly unaware of the situation and have not yet ordered an investigation.  

Epic adviser, Christopher Hoofengale says the US government used Choice Point to obtain the registries as one way of avoiding legal problems regarding privacy laws, especially in the case of Venezuela, the special law against computer crimes, which penalizes unlawful collection of data with 4-8 years in prison. 

Hoofengale maintains that it is basically a problem of corruption because despite the strict laws, people are selling and buying data in many Latin American countries.

Last year 12 persons were arrested in connection with a Venezuelan National Electoral College (CNE) database found in the possession of street hawkers. 

In Mexico, Choice Point was subject to investigation  after purchasing a copy of the electoral register, creating a minor scandal, which seems to be gathering into a storm, as more countries discover the depth and possible implications of the deal.