Update: Here is the indictment making the charges of wire fraud, fraudulent elicitation of Social Security records, solicitation of federal tax information and aggravated identity theft.

Private detectives are among the groups (another is the information brokers) seeking exceptions from privacy laws. The detectives claim they deserve special access to information due to the purported purity of purpose of their work, such as looking for lost children or other noble causes. We've always been concerned about these exception requests, and...we have our reasons. This just in from today's Seattle Times story by Mike Carter, Private eyes indicted in ID-theft case:

State and federal agents have broken up a nationwide "pretext" identity-theft scheme involving private detectives who obtained personal information about their targets --from financial and medical records to tax returns --through deceit and lies, according to a federal grand-jury indictment unsealed Thursday. The confidential records were purchased by attorneys, law firms, collection agents and others, and federal agents are "actively investigating" whether they might have broken the law as well, said Assistant U.S. Attorney Kathryn Frierson.