Rule 36.17.Sensitive Information

Rule 36.17 protects personal identifiers in court filings by limiting how much of them can appear. Whether a document is filed on paper or electronically, it may include only the last four digits of a social security number, the last four digits of a taxpayer identification number, the last four digits of a financial account number, and an individual’s birth year — never the full number or a complete birth date. This is Georgia’s answer to the privacy risk created by broad public access to electronic case files under OCGA § 9-11-7.1.

The rule places the redaction duty squarely on counsel and the parties, not the clerk. The clerk does not review filings for compliance, which means it is up to the person preparing a document to catch a full social security number or account number before it goes into the file. A party who has a legitimate need for the unredacted information — in discovery, for instance — can still get it through the ordinary discovery process without asking the court for a special order.

The rule also limits its own reach. It does not create a private right of action against a court, clerk, attorney, or anyone else who mistakenly includes identifying information in a filing that becomes publicly available, and it does not change Rule 21’s separate limits on access to court files.