Privacy for me, but not for thee
Wednesday, Sep 4, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller
* WBEZ…
An election conspiracy peddler exposed dates of birth and home addresses online for more than 6 million Illinois voters earlier this year, including dozens of state and federal judges whose places of residence are legally protected, a WBEZ investigation has found.
An analysis of more than 30 websites of Lake Forest-based Local Government Information Services also identified home addresses for those involved in a high-profile federal narcotics case involving a foreign drug cartel, prosecutors involved in public-corruption cases, prominent Illinois-based actors and musicians, Chicago sports luminaries and several billionaires.
The company operates local news websites that critics have derided as politically one-sided “pink slime” operations. LGIS is being sued by Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul for allegedly breaking state election law by publishing privileged voter information held by the State Board of Elections and that was accessible only to registered political committees.
The state lawsuit alleged the company’s actions, which date back to January, subjected Illinois voters to possible identity theft. LGIS’ mass publication of names and addresses also “poses a grave threat to certain classes of individuals, such as domestic violence victims, judges, and law enforcement officers, whose safety will be endangered by having their private information published on the internet,” the lawsuit said. […]
While [LGIS president Brian Timpone’s] websites published sensitive information about millions of other Illinois voters, information about his date of birth and home addresses couldn’t be found on LGIS’ voter rolls.
Cook County election records, however, show Timpone was registered to vote and did so in 2020.
“It’s pretty clear that he’s providing himself extra privacy whereas he’s not doing that for everyone else [whose] information he has,” Cangelosi said. “I don’t see any good reason for it.”
Timpone did not specifically address in his statement to WBEZ why his name did not show up in LGIS voter roll data.
- levivotedforjudy - Wednesday, Sep 4, 24 @ 11:38 am:
This is dangerous. I was on a board with a federal judge who had to have a security detail escort her to our meetings because of threats by people she ruled on. I know 4 circuit judges and they are very cognizant of where they go. Unfortunately, this is who we are now.
- Rabid - Wednesday, Sep 4, 24 @ 12:12 pm:
Maybe his identity was hacked and didn’t vote
- Norseman - Wednesday, Sep 4, 24 @ 12:14 pm:
Part of the MAGA GOP effort to instill fear among opposition voters to suppress their vote. My children are anti-MAGA voters like me, but in this deep red state they fear putting up yard signs and car stickers. They worry about me when I put out my vote blue to save democracy garden flag and wear my Vote Blue, Vote Biden and Vote Harris/Walz shirts.
The MSM needs to focus on these thuggish tactics and our leaders need to take legislative action.
- Leap Day William - Wednesday, Sep 4, 24 @ 12:18 pm:
== While [LGIS president Brian Timpone’s] websites published sensitive information about millions of other Illinois voters, information about his date of birth and home addresses couldn’t be found on LGIS’ voter rolls. ==
He also runs Blockshopper.com, which does similar things with home sales. Unlike other data aggregators, this site has no opt-out feature so a whole lot real estate transaction history is there. I have relatives in law enforcement who have tried to have their information removed only to be rebuffed.
https://www.forbes.com/forbes/2010/0913/outfront-housing-web-day-jones-timpone-housing-snoop.html
Unsurprisingly, Timpone is also nowhere to be found in this data aggregator either. Illinois has a chance here to create some real data privacy laws on stopping aggregators from making it way too easy dox people.
- Unionman - Wednesday, Sep 4, 24 @ 1:25 pm:
Maybe its time to prohibit the sale or release of home addresses and other personal information by the election officials to anyone including candidates and parties.
They don’t seem to have any trouble figuring out how to fill my mailbox with junk each election season.
- Rich Miller - Wednesday, Sep 4, 24 @ 1:27 pm:
Unionman, it’s cause and effect. They don’t have any trouble finding your address because they can buy it.