Take Action Now

County systems are already being accessed, scraped, and reused at scale. Waiting increases exposure—not just to system strain, but to privacy violations, fraud risk, and loss of control over how public data is used.

The good news is that meaningful protection does not require a full system overhaul. Counties can begin taking action immediately with practical, targeted steps that improve visibility, accountability, and control.

This page outlines how to move from awareness to action.

"Good evening, commissioners. My name is [Your Name], and I'm a [resident / title professional / concerned citizen] in [County Name].

"I'm here to talk about something most residents don't know: right now, bots and AI systems can access our county's property records portal and download data on every property owner in [County Name] — names, addresses, mortgage details — with no restrictions."

"A March 2026 audit of nearly 2,400 county portals found that 43% have no bot protection at all. And it's not just outsiders — companies like ATTOM Data Solutions and BatchData receive direct data feeds from over 3,000 counties and resell that data to anyone."

"The National Association of Realtors found that 63% of real estate professionals have encountered title fraud in the past year. Deloitte projects AI-enabled fraud will reach $40 billion by 2027. And this data puts domestic violence survivors at direct risk when their home addresses become commercially available."

"I'm asking the board to take three immediate steps that cost nothing:

1. Audit all existing data-sharing agreements with commercial companies
2. Update our website Terms of Use to prohibit automated scraping
3. Direct IT to implement basic protections — robots.txt, rate limiting, CAPTCHA

"I have a Research Briefing and County Action Guide available for the board. Thank you."

"Good evening, commissioners. My name is [Your Name], and I'm a [resident / title professional / concerned citizen] in [County Name].

"I'm here to talk about something most residents don't know: right now, bots and AI systems can access our county's property records portal and download data on every property owner in [County Name] — names, addresses, mortgage details — with no restrictions."

"A March 2026 audit of nearly 2,400 county portals found that 43% have no bot protection at all. And it's not just outsiders — companies like ATTOM Data Solutions and BatchData receive direct data feeds from over 3,000 counties and resell that data to anyone."

"The National Association of Realtors found that 63% of real estate professionals have encountered title fraud in the past year. Deloitte projects AI-enabled fraud will reach $40 billion by 2027. And this data puts domestic violence survivors at direct risk when their home addresses become commercially available."

"I'm asking the board to take three immediate steps that cost nothing:

1. Audit all existing data-sharing agreements with commercial companies
2. Update our website Terms of Use to prohibit automated scraping
3. Direct IT to implement basic protections — robots.txt, rate limiting, CAPTCHA

"I have a Research Briefing and County Action Guide available for the board. Thank you."

Headline: Is [County Name] Giving Away Your Property Data?

An audit of nearly 2,400 county assessor, recorder, and court portals found that 43% have no protection against automated data harvesting. That means bots and AI systems can download every property owner's name, address, and financial details from your county's website — and most residents have no idea.

This isn't hypothetical. Commercial data aggregators like ATTOM and BatchData receive direct feeds from thousands of counties and resell that data to anyone willing to pay. The result is an industrial-scale pipeline of personal property information flowing from public records into commercial markets with zero oversight.

The National Association of Realtors found that 63% of real estate professionals have encountered title fraud in the past 12 months. Deloitte projects AI-enabled fraud losses will hit $40 billion by 2027. And for domestic violence survivors whose home addresses appear in these records, the stakes are even higher.

The good news: counties can act today at no cost. Auditing data-sharing agreements, updating website Terms of Use, and adding basic technical protections like rate limiting are straightforward steps that protect residents while preserving transparent public access.

I urge [County Name]'s commissioners to start with a simple audit: who currently receives our residents' property data, and what are they doing with it?

[Your Name]
[City, State]

Subject: Thank You — Public Records Protection Materials Attached

Dear [Name],

Thank you for taking the time to meet with me about protecting [County Name]'s public records from automated data harvesting.

As discussed, I've attached three documents:

1. Research Briefing — The full evidence base on automated harvesting threats
2. County Action Guide — Step-by-step actions organized by difficulty (start with Tier 1)
3. Fact Sheet — One-page summary of key statistics and audit findings

I'd recommend starting with the Tier 1 audit of existing data-sharing agreements — it costs nothing and gives you a clear picture of your county's current exposure.

I'm happy to serve as an ongoing resource, and I can also connect you with other counties that have already begun implementing protections.

Thank you again for your commitment to [County Name]'s residents.

[Your Name]

Subject: Request for Brief Meeting — Public Records Data Protection in [County Name]

Dear [Commissioner / Recorder / Clerk Name],

I'm writing as a constituent of [County Name] regarding a data security issue affecting our county's property records.

A recent audit of nearly 2,400 county portals found that the majority have no protections against automated data harvesting by bots and AI systems. This means our residents' property data — names, addresses, financial details — may be commercially available through aggregators like ATTOM and BatchData without any county oversight.

With title fraud projected to reach $40 billion by 2027 and 63% of real estate professionals reporting fraud encounters, this is an emerging risk with straightforward, no-cost solutions.

Would you have 20 minutes to meet and discuss what [County Name] can do? I can share a Research Briefing and County Action Guide prepared specifically for local officials.

Thank you for your service to our community.

[Your Name]
[Your Address — establishes you as a constituent]
[Phone / Email]