That is creepy. No wonder why people shy away from HAM. Even privacy conscious geeks would just object to that!
In practice, how does it works?
Does the FCC gets its data from Experian?
Between us privacy minded geeks who don't want our records out in the public, and the queer teens who don't want their old names out in the public as explained by the parent poster, it doesn't leave much of a demography.
Nobody wants their archaic rules. It's that simple.
It is unfortunate that it's public, but you should also keep in mind that I can buy a CD of tax records with names, phone numbers, and addresses of the tax holder and the last sale price (and often previous owners and sales) for every property in the county for $50. Our names and addresses are much less private than most people think.
It is unbelievable in this day and age!
I had my reservations about becoming a HAM, mostly because of the FCC snitching mentality. Now I know this, I will never do HAM. I don't compromise on privacy, regardless the bells and whistles. A Baofeng is $25 and more in line with my ethics.
> tax records with names, phone numbers, and addresses of the tax holder and the last sale price
Good thing I don't own property then!
> Our names and addresses are much less private than most people think.
Some people rent a small flat where they don't live, just to have a postal address
Other people form a NV company to register their assets and protect their identity and address.
Public records are a legitimate service.
I might even argue that any license issued by the government that gives individual citizens additional rights, should be publicly disclosed. Not necessarily all the details, but the existence of the grant of super-citizen rights.
Hairdressers, plumbers, property owners, drivers (caveat: DL for ID makes this tricky), gun owners, ...
Basically, if you have a special set of laws applied to you, I think it's reasonable for that to be public information.