BOSTON -- An array of personal information that can be used by identity thieves is freely available on the Web site of Secretary of State William Galvin, who recently criticized Gov. Deval Patrick for failing to protect information about voters on his campaign's site.
Social Security numbers, bank account numbers, home addresses and phone numbers can be viewed with a few clicks, and Galvin said Wednesday he doesn't plan to immediately remove the information because he's launching a software program to start the process within weeks.
"It's totally unacceptable that they are contemplating leaving it up," said Betty Ostergren, a Virginia-based privacy advocate. "Once they realize it's a veritable treasure trove, identity thieves will flock to it. They need to shut the links down."
Galvin refused to do so.
"This is standard practice in the business world," he said. "It's necessary for commerce. There are people who are reliant upon this system."
Galvin's office maintains tens of thousands of records of commercial borrowing by Massachusetts residents. Such Uniform Commercial Code filings are necessary when a person puts up collateral to secure a loan.
Among the records are details for purchases ranging from furniture to farm machinery. Social Security numbers were used on the UCC filings between 2001 and 2005, Ostergren said.
The information is put online to make it easier for lenders to access it. There is no security, though, to prevent anyone else from viewing the information.
A quick check on Wednesday by The Associated Press showed names, addresses and other personal information for various Massachusetts residents. In one case, a copy of a woman's personal check -- complete with her name, phone number, address, bank account number and all the account information for a loan with General Motors' financing arm -- was posted.
A 1990 filing shows that Patrick, the state's new governor, and his wife, Diane, financed more than a dozen pieces of American Empire mahogany furniture through Shawmut Bank. Filings from that period don't contain Social Security numbers. The only information about the governor posted is his home address, which is available in other public databases.
Galvin recently complained the Patrick campaign committee Web site made it too easy to find out the information about voters, including police officers trying to conceal their home address.
The criticism of his fellow Democrat came after Patrick's campaign launched an effort to encourage people to e-mail them with ideas to improve government. The Patrick committee responded by removing a portion of the information.
"That's very different from what we're talking about here," Galvin said, who was aware of his office's policy when he criticized Patrick. "The governor's site is a political committee. Our site is a governmental function. This is an essential part of commerce."
Patrick spokesman Kyle Sullivan had no immediate comment.
As of six months ago, Galvin said, all new UCC filings are "scrubbed" of personal information. Before that, he estimated, only about 5,500 of the estimated 85,000 UCC filings recorded annually contained a Social Security number.
Galvin said it's "rare" that a personal check would be attached to a filing. Nonetheless, he said people know they are signing a public document when they agree to such loans.
Farm equipment dealers are prone to including Social Security numbers in their filings, said Ostergren, who has made it a personal mission to raise awareness about the problem.
One Worcester County retired farmer said Wednesday that he would call his state representative to demand his Social Security number be removed from a filing for a line of credit for farm equipment. The AP agreed to withhold his name to protect his identity.
"They should close down the whole site," the 72-year-old former fruits and vegetable farmer said in a telephone interview. "Nothing surprises me when it comes to government. The question is are they going to do anything? How many calls do they need to get before they do anything?"
Galvin said his office would remove the Social Security numbers of any individual who calls and requests it. He said a software program would eventually remove the private information.
"It's our intention that we clean the site completely," he said.
Galvin also called Ostergren's description of the accessible information "wrong," adding: "Her allegations are not matched by the facts. We're not going to take down the site ... to satisfy somebody who is an activist from Virginia."
Ostergren said identity thieves could use the Social Security numbers to obtain credit cards, steal medical records, rent apartments and more.
She said she has already gotten states including New York, Oregon, New Mexico and Colorado to stop making Social Security numbers available on government Web sites.
"I do mean to take on Texas also," she said.
(Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
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