STALLMAN, continued
action. AFBF filed a lawsuit and
sought a temporary restraining order
to block EPA from releasing the
private information into the public
domain.
What many people don’t realize
is that the majority of farmers and
ranchers and their families don’t
just work on the farm – they live
there, too. By turning over farmers’
names and addresses for public
consumption, EPA is inviting
intrusion into farm families’ privacy
on a nationwide scale. EPA is in
effect holding up a loudspeaker and
broadcasting where private citizens
live and where their children play.
I think most of us would expect
this type of behavior if we lived in
a different time and place or if we
were watching a spy movie. We do
not expect it, and will not tolerate it,
from our own government.
For Your Eyes Only
Farm Bureau frequently
advocates for increased government
transparency, but publicly sharing
spreadsheet upon spreadsheet
of tens of thousands of peoples’
names, addresses and other personal
information is not transparency in
the workings of government. It is an
invasion of Americans’ privacy.
We don’t object to the aggregation
of data on farm and ranch businesses
for government use. However, we
know all too well that if personal
location information ends up in
the wrong hands, it could lead to
disruptions in farm activity, farm
equipment theft, sabotage or criminal
mischief. These risks are especially
ominous for those farms that store
fertilizer and chemicals or have large
numbers of animals.
In the scope of everything
happening nationally with the
exposure of citizens’ private
information, it’s time to say enough
is enough and put a stop to activities
that belong in a spy thriller. Farm
Bureau is not only standing up for
farmers in this case, we are standing
up for all citizens, who shouldn’t
have their personal information
publicly disseminated by their
government.
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West Virginia Farm Bureau News 19