
We’re Building a New Central Resource for Public Data - danso
https://source.opennews.org/articles/were-building-new-central-resource-public-data/
======
skybrian
You can search here:
[https://publicaccountability.org/datasets/home/](https://publicaccountability.org/datasets/home/)

I searched on my last name and found an old address and a few of my relatives
in there.

It's based on public info, but I guess it will make doxxing a little easier.

Do they get a free pass because they're not a tech company?

~~~
danso
Get a free pass for what?

~~~
skybrian
I meant something like, why aren't there people condemning the folks who made
this website, like they do for other things that reduce people's privacy?

~~~
danso
My guess is that it's not as well-known? The same could be said for the FEC
site in general, or the various state election sites that publish voter
registration info. And also, it's not particularly impactful compared to what
already exists. For example, I can much more easily find much more personal
info about myself by googling my name (even without using the `site:insert-
favorite-people-directory.here.com` search operator).

Google aside, I'd agree that most people _hate_ the various people-directory
sites, which means that they might also hate another aggregator, like the
Public Accountability site in question. But I'd still argue that the
features/scope of this site is much different and significantly limited
compared to a people-directory site. The former presents a list of records
retrieved via a full-text search for "John Doe". The latter purports to link
data from a variety of sources to a given identity, ostensibly using a unique
personal identifier (e.g. social security number). It's much different to have
a list of "records containing the string 'John Doe'" versus a list of "John
Doe" entries comprising of personal history (like age, past addresses, and
family members).

~~~
skybrian
Yes, that's true for "John Doe," but for someone with a unique name, the
search would return the same results whether you use their name or social
security number.

~~~
danso
And such a person is already trivially researchable via Google, not to mention
people-directory sites.

------
EGreg
Just how much information is really known about people contributing to a
political campaign? They now have your name, email and address? Why are you
not going to get tons of unsolicited mail and email based on how you donated?

* Individual Contributions (Contributions by Individuals) The individual contributions file contains each contribution from an individual to a federal committee. It includes the ID number of the committee receiving the contribution, the name, city, state, zip code, and place of business of the contributor along with the date and amount of the contribution. NOTE: this file can be very large file. A comma delimited header file is available on this file's data dictionary page. *

That is from the FEC. And this hack reveals how much is known even about
voting — isn’t that supposed to be secret??

[https://www.forbes.com/sites/leemathews/2018/10/16/millions-...](https://www.forbes.com/sites/leemathews/2018/10/16/millions-
of-voter-records-are-for-sale-on-hacker-forums/amp/)

~~~
danso
Campaign contributions, and who makes them, are not secret. The excerpt you
posted about "Individual Contributions" refers only to what the FEC
distributes via its "Bulk Data" downloads page. The FEC itself posts the
contribution form for every contribution. For example, on the "Individual
contributions" search page [0], click on the right-arrow icon (in the right
most column) of any given entry. Then click the "Open original image" button
to see the donor's contribution form.

The Forbes link you posted refers to voter registration data. This data is not
secret (some states post it online themselves), nor does it contain _who
voters voted for_.

[0] [https://www.fec.gov/data/receipts/individual-
contributions/?...](https://www.fec.gov/data/receipts/individual-
contributions/?two_year_transaction_period=2020)

~~~
EGreg
I imagine if they registered as a Democrat then we know they are a Democrat
and most likely who they voted for in the general election.

We also know their address and email

~~~
danso
Yes, your party affiliation correlated to what party you end up voting for.
But this has been deemed public information, ever since the government got
into the business of administering party primaries.

~~~
EGreg
I just think people’s address and email shouldn’t become public information
just because they voted or donated.

