One step back

A federal district court decision announced last week is a setback for individuals who wish to hold government accountable for misuse of their private data. U.S. District Judge Joan Ericksen's decision absolves the State of Minnesota of liability for the actions of John Hunt who allegedly abused the private data of more than 5,000 people while a manager for the state's Department of Natural Resources.

The Strib quotes St. Paul City Attorney Sara Grewing, who can generally be counted on to be delighted with decisions that favor the interests of government over those of citizens, as being "extremely pleased" with the ruling. Effectively, the decision suggests that governmental units won't

The end of the beginning

It may be safe to say that Minnesota's experience with cops abusing private data entered a new phase over the past week. While many private citizens along with a continuing parade of public figures such as TV news anchors have filed lawsuits, there wasn't an indication that anybody in a position to do anything about the problem really cared. That changed when a group of lawmakers including Minnesota House member Steve Drazkowski of Mazeppa started a lawsuit last week.

I'm thinking that when you start pissing off the people who make that laws that govern your existence, you may have reached the point when something actually gets started to address stopping the abuse and perhaps even creating consequences for those who engage in it. As Winston Churchill is quoted as having once said, "Now this is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning."