Private companies like Lexis-Nexis are already compiling information from public records and making them available online to reporters, lawyers and other paying customers. It's only a matter of time until some company tries making that same information available for free on an ad-supported web site. Meanwhile, certain criminal records are finding their way to the Net. After the California state legislature defeated a bill that would have made information on convicted sex offenders available online, a state resident began posting the material himself. And in St. Paul, Minn., police have begun posting the names, addresses and pictures of people who've been arrested on a charge of engaging in prostitution.
Supporters say posting criminal records online protects public safety, and they've got a good point.
The St. Paul Police Department clearly hopes to add public humiliation to whatever sentence the defendants might receive in court. Criminals, though, aren't the only ones who might object to making public records more available to the public on the Net. Celebrities, business leaders and other public figures probably wouldn't appreciate a web site that allowed people to click through their property tax files, driving records or voting history. And anyone has the right to be upset that some company is making a profit by posting their name, address and other information on the Net without their permission. Public records laws require governments to turn over most of their records whenever someone asks, and no democracy should have it any other way.