New Law to Increase Security in Confidential Name Changes
Thanks to a new law that will take full effect in January 2010, Safe at Home participants can request that their confidential name-change information not be published on the Internet or in any other public media.
Courts that use online tracking databases for typical name changes will include petitioners' current legal names, court dates and petition types. California Code of Civil Procedure section 1277 prohibits the court's publication of a Safe at Home enrollee's confidential name-change petition by any means, including hardcopy or electronic format under certain circumstances.
The Secretary of State's office requested the change in law to increase anonymity and security from abusers who may troll the Internet for victims' names and court-date information. New county superior court rules and forms will facilitate confidentiality in such cases, including requiring a Confidential Cover Sheet be attached to court documents associated with confidential name changes.
Watch for more information in the next issue of the Safe at Home newsletter.