Youth sports have become a multibillion-dollar industry, yet many organizations still handle children’s sensitive personal information with surprisingly little protection.
To verify age eligibility, parents are increasingly required to submit copies of birth certificates. Some leagues even expect coaches or volunteers to carry or store these documents throughout a season. Preventing age cheating is a legitimate goal. Collecting and retaining birth certificates is not.
A birth certificate contains some of the most valuable pieces of a child’s identity. Unlike a password, it cannot be changed if exposed. Many youth sports organizations rely on volunteers and small nonprofits that lack the cybersecurity safeguards of banks, hospitals or government agencies, making them attractive targets for data theft.
This reflects a broader problem: adults have become too casual about children’s privacy. We regularly share children’s personal information because it’s convenient or expected, often without considering the long-term consequences. Children have no say in these decisions, yet they bear the risks if their information is lost or stolen.
Leagues should verify age, but verification does not require collecting and storing birth certificates. Secure alternatives, including one-time verification or third-party credentialing services, can confirm eligibility without turning volunteers into custodians of sensitive records.
Stefan Dostanic, Milwaukee
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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Youth sports data collection lacks cybersecurity safeguards | Letter
Reporting by Letters to the Editor, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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By Letters to the Editor, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel | USA TODAY Network
