Immigration, Politics

Democrats Looking To Delete Another Server Full Of Sensitive Data

Burn it all down.

By  
on

Mature adult businessman smashing laptop on fire with hammerAfter the hubbub over Hillary Clinton’s emails — a controversy that exit polls suggest played little role in her eventual loss, despite the media blitz — one would think Democrats would shy away from suggesting wiping data as a solution to law enforcement poking around, but New York’s Mayor Bill de Blasio raised exactly that possibility in an interview Thursday.

And this is one of those times where nuking data is absolutely justified.

Since last year, New York provides the IDNYC card, a government-issued ID available based upon limited paperwork — which means it’s most often used by undocumented migrants. As CNN explains:

The personal information of cardholders, including addresses and dates of birth, is stored on encrypted databases and servers, according to the city. It cannot be disclosed to federal law enforcement or immigration authorities without permission from the city’s human resources administration. Applicants do not have to disclose their immigration status to receive a card.

While de Blasio assured cardholders that the city would fight any attempts from new Homeland Security Secretary Ted Nugent — which, frankly, is no less ridiculous than Joe Arpaio — to get their hands on the data, he said the city is considering scrubbing the whole database before Trump gets into office if it comes to it. That may seem like a radical move, but it’s actually something the sponsors of the IDNYC law already contemplated because they’re much, much smarter than whoever ran polling for the Clinton campaign:

A provision of the ID law that allows the personal information retained in the database to be “destroyed” by the end of the year — a deadline included intentionally in case a “Tea Party Republican” won the White House, according to one of the law’s sponsors — could also be enacted, de Blasio said.

Oh my God, Bill de Blasio is basically one of the Duke boys! But without the racist car. It all fits if you bear with me. Trump as the new Boss Hogg and Sheriff Joe as the most Rosco Coltrane ever and Bill de Blasio just driving circles around them and deleting files like a game of data whack-a-mole.

Sponsored

This could be a show, people.

Mayor: Database of undocumented New Yorkers could be deleted [CNN]

Joe Patrice is an editor at Above the Law and co-host of Thinking Like A Lawyer. Feel free to email any tips, questions, or comments. Follow him on Twitter if you’re interested in law, politics, and a healthy dose of college sports news.

Photo via GettyImages

Sponsored

Topics

, ,