I don't know, I wouldn't be able to tell. If a tree falls in the forest, and nobody's there to hear it, does it matter to anyone whether it makes a sound?
> What if we weren't allowed to confirm or deny you were on the list, except to a prospective landlord or employer who filled out a form?
You're swinging at strawmen. Nobody in this thread is defending intrusive lists.
For some reason, though, you are conflating unintrusive lists (Which don't require oversight anywhere in the world) with intrusive lists (Which do require oversight in... well-governed parts of the world).
Do you have arguments against the former? I'm not interested in being convinced that the latter are bad, I'm already convinced that they are bad.
> edit: and, of course, what if the list leaks, and is used as an automated first step for disqualification by employers and landlords for the rest of your life?
If there's an unholy decades-long alliance between the FBI, the background check bureaus, and millions of employers and landlords, that neither my federal, state, or municipal government is interested in doing anything about, I think my main problem is not 'the FBI has a list'. I think my main problem is 'My society, on every imaginable level, is broken.'