[TheForge] Criminal Background Check

[Andrew Vida]

Jerry Frost wrote:
> A couple things.
> 
> First, a little online searching and a few bucks and 
> anybody can learn way more about you than you want 
> anyone to know. The State or Feds can check you back 
> beyond birth if they so choose and as for your 
> fingerprints all they need to do is tail you and print 
> something you've touched. No warrant necessary. IF 
> you're that interesting to them they already have more 
> than you know yourself.

	This is all too true.  However, there is a line in the sand delimiting 
this sort of act carried out under current circumstances and when done 
with consent.  Once crossed, the psychological bell becomes increasingly 
difficult to unring as time advances and precedents are set with one's 
consent.  Tacit consent is difficult enough to argue against.  Explicit 
consent is almost impossible.  How many people have gotten really big 
surprises after signing on the dotted line?
> 
> Secondly, with computer comparisons checking many many 
> more points of similarity than eyeball comparisons 
> there's a fleetingly small chance of mistakes matching 
> you to a partial.

	Sounds so innocent and innocuous until you find yourself on the wrong 
end of half a dozen muzzles and some rather unfriendly sounding hombres.