Redaction of Personal Information
Redaction of Personal Information (Identity Theft Protection)
Any person preparing or filing a document for recordation should not include personal information, such as their Social Security number, employer taxpayer identification, driver’s license number, state identification, passport, bank account numbers, PIN and passwords in a document unless specifically required by law or court order, adopted by the State Registrar on records for vital events, or redacted so that no more than the last four digits of the identification number is included.
With the rise of identity theft, many citizens feel uncomfortable with their personal information being available on legal documents on the internet. Here at the Register of Deeds office, we take protecting your identity seriously while still providing open access to what North Carolina General Statutes deem as “Public Records.” We have scanned our internet records back to 1935 with optical character recognition software, and we have redacted any social security or driver’s license numbers that were found. We began our search in 1935, since this was the first year social security numbers were issued. This is the only information NC laws currently allow the Register of Deeds office to redact without your permission.
State law (NCGS §132-1.10(f)) allows you to request the redaction of other information from our records. states, "Any person has the right to request that a register of deeds or clerk of court remove, from an image or copy of an official record placed on a register of deeds' or court's Internet Website available to the general public or an Internet Web site available to the general public used by a register of deeds or court to display public records by the register of deeds or clerk of court, the person's social security, employer taxpayer identification, driver’s license, state identification, passport, checking account, savings account, credit card, or debit card number, or personal identification (PIN) code or passwords contained in that official record. The request must be made in writing, legibly signed by the requester, and delivered by mail, facsimile, or electronic transmission, or delivered in person to the register of deeds or clerk of court. The request must specify the personal information to be redacted, information that identifies the document that contains the personal information and unique information that identifies the location within the document that contains the social security, employer taxpayer identification, driver’s license, state identification, passport, checking account, savings account, credit card, or debit card number, or personal identification (PIN) code or passwords to be redacted."
Requests must be made in writing and delivered by mail, fax, or in person to the Register of Deeds. The request must specify the personal information to be redacted and include information that identifies the document by Book and Page. The request must also list the Social Security number, employer taxpayer identification, driver’s license number, state identification, passport, bank account numbers, and/or PIN and passwords as they appear on the document.
An individual can request the redaction only of his or her own personal information (one person per form). No fee will be charged for the redaction pursuant to such a request. Any person who requests a redaction without proper authority to do so can be punished by a fine not to exceed $500 for each violation.