Limiting Unnecessary Risk Exposure

A transparency-oriented watchdog-type web site recently created controversy by exposing personal information from Congressional financial disclosure forms that could arguably be used in identity theft.

An alert reader suggests that this controversy illustrates the desirability of reminding SF-278 filers that their children's names and the filer's personal home addresses do not need to be listed on the SF-278 report. OGE allows filers to identify assets belonging to a filer's child as belonging to a "dependent child" (without referencing the child's age, gender or name).  This fully complies with the disclosure rules while preserving the children's personal privacy. Thanks for the timely tip!