Virginia Students to Be Checked for Sex Offense

The AP reports:

A new law requiring Virginia's colleges to hand over prospective students' personal information to police for cross-checking against sex offender lists is coming under fire from privacy advocates and education leaders.

Under the law, which takes effect July 1, public and private college officials must send state police the names, Social Security numbers and birth dates of all students accepted to their schools.

Proponents say the law will help protect students from sex offenders and state police are confident the personal information will be secure. But critics are raising concerns about privacy rights and risks that the data could be misused or stolen.

Privacy law experts believe it is the first time a state has ever imposed such a requirement.

"I am not aware of anything on this breathtaking a scope when it comes to violating the potential prospective students' privacy," said Barmak Nassirian, associate executive director of the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admission Officers. "Certainly the damage to privacy interests of innocent people is obvious."

The new requirement was part of a unanimously approved bill that makes sweeping changes to Virginia's sex offender laws, including tougher punishments and better monitoring of offenders once they are released from prison.

Big,activist government promises that the your personal information will be secure!! If you believe that you'll believe almost anything.In Virginia students are now guilty until proven innocent and the legislature passed the bill unanimously!