Wills Go On-Line

Recently it seems that a lot of local government offices are jumping on the bandwagon to scan documents, such as deeds, marriage licenses, and wills, and provided them for a fee on-line.  The fee is split with the company that runs the site and the government office.  It is a revenue generator, and a great boost to genealogy buffs.  A wealth of information, for a relatively small fee, without having to leave the comfort of their home den.

But, this news also raises the hairs on the back of my neck.  When you are trained to see bad scenarios and then plan accordingly, my mind generates possibilities at lightening speed.  For example, decades ago it was common place to include Social Security Numbers in a will.  Tucked away in a bankers box in a remote government office is one thing, but what will happen once they are scanned and easy to post and share?  Most everyone has some relative that spends far too much time posting scanned photos and images onto Facebook.  Will that person have enough common sense not to post Great Grandma's will that contains not only a complete listing of her twelve children, but their SSNs too?

Time will tell.  Progress is great, but also comes with some headaches.  Thanks for reading!

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