§ 3-5047 — Removal of personal information

Upon request by any person, the recorder shall redact or remove that person's social security number, employer taxpayer identification number, driver's license number, State identification number, passport number, checking account number, savings account number, credit card number, debit card number, or personal identification (PIN) code from any internet website maintained by the recorder or used by the recorder to display public records. The request must be made in writing and delivered by mail, facsimile, electronic transmission, or in person to the office of the recorder. The request must specify the personal information to be redacted and identify the document that contains the personal information. Within 12 months after the effective date of this amendatory Act of the 95th General Assembly all county recorders that publicly display records on an Internet website must submit a written policy, including a timeline, to their respective county boards providing for the redaction of social security numbers from all records publicly displayed on the website. Any county recorder that launches a website on or after the effective date of this amendatory Act of the 95th General Assembly shall develop and implement a policy providing for the removal of all social security numbers from all records prior to the public display of those records on the website, and must file a copy of the policy with the county board of that county. Policies pertaining to the removal of social security numbers from records to be posted on the internet shall be made available to all employees of a county recorder. No person or entity shall include an individual's social security number in a document that is prepared and presented for recording with a county recorder. This Section shall not apply to (i) State or federal tax liens, certified copies of death certificates, or other documents required by law to contain personal identifying information or (ii) documents that were executed by an individual prior to the effective date of this amendatory Act of the 95th General Assembly. County recorders shall not be liable for any claims arising from unintentional or inadvertent violations of this Section.

Legislative History

(Source: P.A. 95-875, eff. 1-1-09.)