Few people knew what records existed, and even fewer had the time or incentive to search. Now, the cost savings offered by the Internet has prompted governments to become proactive in making information available to the public online. The traditional users of public-record information, such as reporters and researchers, also have a valid interest in easily obtaining information they use in their daily work. However, now that public records can be searched and retrieved by name or other personal identifiers from any computer terminal in the world, the range and depth of public records are being closely examined for perhaps the first time. Government officials and privacy experts alike are beginning to worry about the impact on privacy.
Most public records are at the state and local level.
Almost two years ago, Vice President Al Gore called for a dialogue between state and federal governments to address the now-competing interests of openness and privacy, but little seems to have come of the initiative. There are no easy answers. Each set of records needs to be looked at, with a public process allowing input from interested parties as policies are made. A balance will often need to be struck, weighing societal interests. Privacy principles must be designed into computerized records systems from the outset.