Privacy Issues with public records

Public records exist so that we can keep an eye on what our government is doing. The idea is that by making the information available publicly the government won't have any secrets. Unfortunately one of the side effects of this is that people's personal information is often available publicly. This creates a serious problem since it is now so easy to check the public records and invade the privacy of many people.

The biggest problem with public records when it comes to privacy issues is that people are able to get your personal information. Normally this is information that we would protect and keep to ourselves. However in most cases public records will contain information that is private that you were required to give. For example if you go to court you will have to provide a lot of personal information. Since that information is available to anybody doing public records and background checks to find out about you they will have access to things that are supposed to be kept private.

The biggest danger with public records is the threat of identity theft. Virtually everything that a thief could need to steal your identity will be available in court records. If you have ever been divorced or filed for bankruptcy then there is a public record out there that includes your social security number as well as the numbers of all your financial accounts. Even things like your date of birth are going to be in the court records. You couldn't make it easier for somebody to steal your identity if you tried. This is a very serious threat given how widespread identity theft has become.

There is a good chance that if your medical condition has ever been an issue in a legal case that your medical records are available online in the public records. If you have been injured in an accident or if you have ever sued your health insurance provider for example your medical records are going to be in the court documents. That means that anybody who wants to see them will be able to. For example if you are applying for a job and your potential employer does a background check on you he may find out about any health issues that you have.

The other big privacy issue with public records are that any allegations made against you will be a matter of public record whether they are true or not. Even if you are exonerated in court the allegations will still be there for anybody who wants to see them. That means potential employers or landlords or anybody else. This is all stuff that is supposed to be kept confidential but which is actually available for anybody to see if they know where to look for it. Figuring out a way around this problem is a serious concern that needs to be addressed.