FiL wants all our data

[HighlandCowSaysBooNotMoo]

My father in law works in a government role.
Today he put a message in the family WhatsApp group asking if we could send him our addresses, d.o.bs, mothers maiden names, our place of birth, our address history, previous maiden names etc.
Apparently he needs this info from his 4 adult children, their spouses (me included) , his own siblings and his siblings spouses, grandchildren, his in laws etc. Basically he is covering every member of the family and spouses etc over the age of 18.
He has put something light hearted about it being needed for an enhanced security check that he's been told he needs for his job.
He is not changing jobs or position in the company. He has been in this job for since my husband was a wee kid!!
A couple of people have responded straight away with their data.
DH says IABU not to share mine with his dad
What do I do?

Asking for information from a lot of members of the family via WhatsApp is surely the most efficient way to get the request out to a lot of people? It doesn't mean he's asking for them to send it back the same way.

What on earth are you on about? Such vitriol for something completely normal and straightforward. My partner had to do something similar for his job, too. The information requested isn’t any more intrusive than most credit checks!

You are completely paranoid and weird to be so aggressive and derogatory.

Yep that sounds right for an enhanced security check. It's a huge pain.

No work don't ask the individuals doing the form. You supply all the info yourself as the person being vetted. I've done it, it's a pain. More of a pain if people won't give info, but they will get it either way.

WhatsApp is about as secure as you can get-it’s what the security forces use for this reason

Absolutely fine OP I had to provide similar for a relative’s high security role. I can’t say what (not being dubious) they no longer work in the role.

This is extreme but completely normal. If you feel freaked out, speak to your FIL privately to get more detail. I think what's weird is that he asked for this on Whatsapp.

His clearance is being increased from SC to DV for his project. It’s normal. You can refuse to hand it over and he can still be vetted.

No the employee fills in the form then the checks are run.
Sounds like he is working on a high level project or needs access to a certain area of a building.
It's all treated as confidential.

I thought they had been asked to use Signal instead?

70 percent of people currently agree with OP that she shouldn’t tell him.

That is a disturbing insight into the levels of paranoia on here.

Nobody had yet given a valid reason not to give the info, which is just very basic personal details that you couldn’t do anything with other than confirm someone’s identity.

What a bizarre thread and set of responses.

Slightly different as police but my husband had to give details of my parents for his enhanced check, often goes along with roles where you sign the official secrets act. He also had to get permission to get married!

He might need your data, but nobody else on the thread does. I'd at least send it direct to him and not to the group chat.

I can’t get over the number of people on this thread who have been vetted for security reasons.

But the daughter in law’s mother’s maiden name? I would have thought that the level of job that demands THAT extent of information would be sending out people to interview you personally.

As others have stated this is normal information needed for the higher level of clearances needed for certain jobs with in government and some industries.

I don't understand people who have such vitriol against giving such information. Surely you understand that people who need to do certain jobs need to have background checks done for this countries safety.

My husband has had to do this several times in the last 20 plus years we been together depending on the work he is doing.

I worked in a role where my security clearance had to be renewed every 10 years. They even asked if my widowed dad in his 90’s had a new partner after the recent death of my mother. Quite intrusive but I sucked it up.

Pm your details to him if you don’t want everyone in the group knowing.

it’s for security reasons, MI5 frequently check out our family members so we are seen not to be a security risk.

Most large employers don’t do their own vetting they outsource it.

Does he work in a job that requires enhanced vetting?

If not, that kind of personal information can be used in identity theft.

Clearly no idea how the process works

When my DH was working on a government project he needed my data and my parents too. We didn’t have any children then, let alone married ones, so I don’t know what he would have needed in regards to them.

My x once told me that potential employers (a service for something military) needed to check out my background!!. The weird thing was that they could check out my background as I am Irish. They couldn't clear him as one of his parents was informally adopted and that was the reason he didn't get the role (he was told). I was a bit sceptical about it at the time, as he wasn't going in there as any kind of military strategist. he would have been providing financial services. bizarre.