Here's the press release from the Buncombe County Register of Deeds office:

Register of Deeds Protects Citizens Against Identity Theft

Asheville, N.C. (August 14, 2012) – The Buncombe County Register of Deeds Office consistently works to improve records accessibility, transparency and security. Drew Reisinger, Buncombe County Register of Deeds, and his staff deleted Social Security Numbers and Driver’s License Numbers from Buncombe County online recorded documents. This redaction project included over 6.1 million records that were reviewed in under seven months. Of these records, the staff identified 16,098 documents that contained sensitive information, which have now been omitted from the county’s online record database. “This project was important so that private information recorded in these documents will not be readily accessed by anyone with a computer anywhere in the world. This adds a measure of security and peace of mind for the citizens of Buncombe County,” stated Reisinger. This effort aims to prevent identity theft for Buncombe County residents.

Buncombe County Register of Deeds – http://www.BuncombeCounty.org/rod