I'd like to start off this post by saying, we all know that the WT loves control. It's clear by their history, their WT's, the Elder arrangement and so on. However, after witnessing and using the Publish ID program in person, it takes this need for control to a whole new level & it was scary.
If you've ever seen Builder Assist (the website program used for LDC volunteers) or the Metro program, it actually looks pretty similar to that. A basic web looking app with a search bar, information, login and so on. Here's what's interesting.
More people have access to it than I thought. Specific people at Bethel have access, certain remote bethelites and people not even at Bethel. Higher up LDC members, Assembly Hall Overseers, CO's etc... There is a lot, and I mean a lot of information at their finger tips.
They can't login directly or use the program on their remote computer. They have to first login to a computer running on a server. Basically, it's a older version of Windows OS running on a server. Each one is assigned one of these virtual computers. It's unclear if their server is running the OS on Microsofts servers or on Bethels servers. That's the first step. They have to login to their virtual, assigned computer. From there, they can bring up the Publish ID program. It runs like a regular Windows program, meaning it's not a web browsers program. From there though, it looks like a web program running inside of this Windows programs.
Here's where it gets scary though.
The individual showing me this said think of any name or a brother or sister that you know. I spit out a random name of Joe Publisher who attends 1 Sunday meeting per month. They type their name in. To my disbelief his name pops up... He was in this database. So they click on the name. A card style view shows up and it displays their address, phone number, congregation, date of baptism, if there was any congregation privileges, male or female. There was even a photo ID spot were if they had a picture on file it would be displayed.
It gets even crazier. There's a "Documents" section under this person name. In that section is displays any application they submitted, and "incidents" that happened with this person, correspondences, if or why they were removed as a elder or MS. Literally a full record of just this one person was a few clicks away from the individual showing me this program.
I spit out more names. Every name, came up with the exact same information. This is a huge database! I even gave my own name and saw all of my information that the branch had on me. If you were baptized & I'd even go as far to say a unbaptized publisher, you are in this database.
I gave a generic last name and it displayed "Showing 200 results of 3,000". You can then do a more refined search. Add in the state, congregation, phone number and you will find the exact person you want.
I asked the person showing me if there were different levels of access you could be granted. I know on Builder Assist you can be granted different access levels which displays more information, lets you access parts others can't, make changes and so on. They said they didn't know. However, their access level already displayed a ton of information on each person. I assume there are different levels that display even more.
I left very creeped out by how much information was in this database. How much info there was on me, my friends, family and how easy it was for them to access this information.
They always talk about protecting our brothers and sisters from the government in the time of the end. If 1 official got access to this info they'd have every piece of info on every witness and could go right to their house since their address is in this database. It makes no sense!
I think the scariest part was realizing I am forever in this database. It doesn't matter if I leave, I will still be part of their database.
I don't see how something like this is even legal without providing consent. Any person I could think of, we typed their name in and there they were. There was not one time that we couldn't find the person who I named.