Jim Warren on Texas' pathetic public records Web site

[Declan McCullagh <declan () well com>]

-------- Original Message --------
Subject: are Texas' most basic public records REALLY this repressed?!
Date: Thu, 13 May 2004 15:16:41 -0700
From: Jim Warren <jwarren () well com>

In the early '90's, the Texas Controller was at the FOREFRONT of
providing robust online public access to already-computerized public
records -- an outstanding example of the BEST in "civil" "service"!
I cited his operation in print and in seminars for public officials.
But now ...

I wanted to check on a possible online scam, that said it was part of
a Dallas corporation.

I went to the Texas Secretary of State's website,
http://www.sos.state.tx.us/ , which said, in part, "On this site, you
can search for a corporate name, ..."

Exactly what I wanted!  I clicked on the "search for a corporate
name" link, which took me to
http://www.sos.state.tx.us/corp/sosda/index.shtml .  It said,
"SOSDirect provides the following:
...
* Enhanced search capabilities for business organizations including
searching by entity name, ... of a corporation.
* Expands records available online and includes records filed with
the SOS relating to:
* Corporations
..."

I clicked on "Click to enter here" ... and only then, discovered that
there appeared to be NO way to perform that most simple function --
ascertain whether or not an alleged/suspect Texas corporation really
exists (search by name) and if so, find its corporate filing address
and major officers -- without setting up an account, obtaining a user
ID, and paying money.

Oh!  But -- ahah!  Down in the smallest print of their
authorized-user login page,
https://direct.sos.state.tx.us/acct/acct-login.asp , I discovered,
"You may login as a temporary user for this session by completing
this temporary login form. NOTE: This will allow you to do web
inquiries and place orders, but not submit filings."

Right!  All I wanted to do was a simply one-time search for basic
public information about a Texas corporation.  Clicking "temporary
login form" took me to
https://direct.sos.state.tx.us/acct/acct-templogin.asp -- which
intrusively asked for all sorts of *personal* information.

WHY THE HELL should a citizen have to give name, address, phone and
email-address ... MERELY to see already-computerized PUBLIC records
online?!  (Is that kind of surveillance information also required of
those who walk into Texas' Corporations Department, and ask at their
counter, for access to their basic public records?)

Okay ... so I sighed in disgust, and filled in all the required --
UNnecessarily intrusive! -- personal information, and clicked
"Continue".

That took me to
https://direct.sos.state.tx.us/acct/acct-templogin.asp?spage=templogin1
... which, contrary to the assurance that it would "allow you to do
web inquiries", instead, demanded CREDIT CARD information.  After, of
course, already capturing all my personal data.

Nonetheless, on the chance that it was simply slipshod web-page
design, and really would allow me to do the most simple of searches
without a credit card, I clicked "Continue", sans credit card info.

That took me to a nearly-blank webpage that said only:
"Microsoft VBScript runtime  error '800a000d'
Type mismatch: 'cdate'
E:\INETPUB\SOSDIRECT\ACCT\../common/common-func-payment.asp, line 55"

So much for being a "temporary user for this session ... to do web 
inquiries"!

(And just to top it off the quality of this website, these
personal-data capture pages included the line: "Instructions:
INSTRUCTIONS NEED WRITTEN."  That's it; nothin' else.  Which is of
course, meaningless.

SHEESH!

I didn't want to file documents.

I didn't want to give them a whole batch of personal information, nor
establish an account, just to see if they had ONE PUBLIC record (a
single alleged corporate name).


And I certainly don't see ANY reason to require that a citizen
identify themselves, give significant personal information, set up an
account, and pay fees, JUST to access the most basic of PUBLIC
government records!

--jim
Jim Warren; jwarren () well com, public-policy advocate & technology writer

[self-inflating puffery: InfoWorld founder; Dr.Dobb's Journal first editor;
Soc.of Prof.Journalists-Nor.Cal.James Madison Freedom-of-Information Award;
Electronic Frontier Foundation Pioneer Award (1992, its first year);
Playboy Foundation Hugh Hefner First-Amendment Award (1994);
founded the Computers, Freedom & Privacy Conferences; blah blah blah]


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