3 ms·

Is it odd that the IRS is mandated to publish the full names of all who renounce US citizenship? Not that names are necessarily private information, but most ot

by z2 8y ago

Is it odd that the IRS is mandated to publish the full names of all who renounce US citizenship? Not that names are necessarily private information, but most other times when government agencies publish names, it's a wanted persons list.

ISL 8y ago
There is a wall of names on the Washington Mall that provides a poignant counterexample.
apercu 8y ago
You should hear the "patriots" who try to justify the stupid US laws in any online discussion. I've been called a traitor for living in Canada.
- LyndsySimon 8y ago
  Yeah, I don't get it either. I'm an anarchist, and would love to one day be able to renounce my citizenship and purposefully become stateless. Doing so requires significant financial resources though, and I doubt my family situation will ever allow it. Still, discussion of that desire has led to many aggressive but interesting conversations on both right- and left-leaning platforms.
claydavisss 8y ago
Anyone who has purchased a home in their name has it in the public record. Your name isn't considered private.
LyndsySimon 8y ago
There are other examples. Off the top of my head, firearms law has a few instances of this. The ATF publishes a list of FFL holders[0]. This includes gun dealers, pawnbrokers, and even holders of "curio and relic" licenses, which are collectors who do not do it as a business. Many states also publish lists of concealed carry permit holders. A few years ago, the Commercial Appeal published the entire list of permit holders for Tennessee on their website, searchable by ZIP code. It seems to be a dead link now, but there are still articles about it out there[1]. There was a lot of concern in the community that this would lead to targeted break-ins by people seeking to illegally obtain firearms, but I don't recall seeing anything solid about it happening. 0: https://www.atf.gov/firearms/listing-federal-firearms-licensees https://www.atf.gov/firearms/listing-federal-firearms-licens... 1: https://www.heraldcourier.com/news/tn-newspaper-publishes-concealed-gun-permit-list/article_d95c67ca-1db5-5671-9131-9bb67a60ba47.html https://www.heraldcourier.com/news/tn-newspaper-publishes-co...
logfromblammo 8y ago
Some business is restricted only to "US persons"--citizens and residents. Employers are expected to read the published list and fire anyone on it whose job description requires them to be a US person. There is no defense for "we were not aware of this", because the register is the ultimate public record. The fact that the IRS could as easily notify employers directly that their employee has changed status is irrelevant. The list is published so that other people may also discriminate on the basis of changed citizenship status.

by z2 8y ago

ISL 8y ago

There is a wall of names on the Washington Mall that provides a poignant counterexample.

apercu 8y ago

You should hear the "patriots" who try to justify the stupid US laws in any online discussion. I've been called a traitor for living in Canada.

LyndsySimon 8y ago
Yeah, I don't get it either. I'm an anarchist, and would love to one day be able to renounce my citizenship and purposefully become stateless. Doing so requires significant financial resources though, and I doubt my family situation will ever allow it. Still, discussion of that desire has led to many aggressive but interesting conversations on both right- and left-leaning platforms.

claydavisss 8y ago

Anyone who has purchased a home in their name has it in the public record. Your name isn't considered private.

LyndsySimon 8y ago

There are other examples. Off the top of my head, firearms law has a few instances of this. The ATF publishes a list of FFL holders[0]. This includes gun dealers, pawnbrokers, and even holders of "curio and relic" licenses, which are collectors who do not do it as a business. Many states also publish lists of concealed carry permit holders. A few years ago, the Commercial Appeal published the entire list of permit holders for Tennessee on their website, searchable by ZIP code. It seems to be a dead link now, but there are still articles about it out there[1]. There was a lot of concern in the community that this would lead to targeted break-ins by people seeking to illegally obtain firearms, but I don't recall seeing anything solid about it happening. 0: https://www.atf.gov/firearms/listing-federal-firearms-licensees https://www.atf.gov/firearms/listing-federal-firearms-licens... 1: https://www.heraldcourier.com/news/tn-newspaper-publishes-concealed-gun-permit-list/article_d95c67ca-1db5-5671-9131-9bb67a60ba47.html https://www.heraldcourier.com/news/tn-newspaper-publishes-co...

logfromblammo 8y ago

Some business is restricted only to "US persons"--citizens and residents. Employers are expected to read the published list and fire anyone on it whose job description requires them to be a US person. There is no defense for "we were not aware of this", because the register is the ultimate public record. The fact that the IRS could as easily notify employers directly that their employee has changed status is irrelevant. The list is published so that other people may also discriminate on the basis of changed citizenship status.