The public should have access to the public information as well as the non-public. The commission's report says information about a person can be drawn from a huge range of public sources, such as property records, marriage and divorce records, birth certificates, court records and government applications, and even a person's own Web page. Without access to this information, consumers have no way of knowing whether this data is accurate, FTC officials said. We trust the industry will bring the same spirit of cooperation to resolving these remaining issues. Davies said his company would continue to work with the FTC on this issue, but added that he believed the industry has covered most consumer concerns.
People tend to know what they've filed.
Consumers who want to check the accuracy of this data should go to the source, such as county clerks or courthouses, Davies added. The FTC has given the information services until December 1998 to implement the new system. After that time, each company will undergo periodic public reviews to make sure it is adhering to the guidelines.