Providing this level of access to particular information about private individuals has generally worked. However, several trends have emerged in recent years that bring the public-private dichotomy into question. The first trend is the extension of the domain over which third parties claim a right of access. The second involves a shift in the interpretation of whose fundamental rights are being protected. The third, and most important trend, involves the logistical ease with which personal information about identified individuals can now be accessed and disseminated.
Some areas are reasonably benign.
For instance, until recently, finding out what someone paid for a piece of property required that one ask the buyer or the seller, or else make an estimate from tax records. Today, details of these transactions are routinely published in most newspapers. A more problematic example involves the dissemination of governmentally-held information. Today governments at every level are acquiring more and more information about citizens. Examples are information contained in voting records, school records, motor vehicle records, records of publicly-owned utilities, etc.