I've written about this issue ad nauseum in my blog, and in my opinion, organizations like the Property Records Industry Association and ALTA have been driving the debate about privacy and public records for far too long.  It seems that there is a concerted effort on the part of these groups to turn a blind eye to the obvious and well-documented abuses of these online databases and to dismiss folks like me as "fear-mongers" who want to use the "bogeymen" of fraud and identity theft to limit some perceived right of people to anonymously pry into the personal affairs of their neighbors.  As Internet librarian Dan Giancaterino puts it, "having that practical barrier of having to show up [at the courthouse] and go through the process of...requesting documents tends to weed out a certain percentage of crazies."

Public records laws, intended to promote transparency and accountability in government, were never meant to be used as a battering ram by large corporations and well-funded lobbying organizations to strong-arm their way into our record rooms.  Keeping the records within the four walls of our courthouses is the only proven way to reduce risks, protect the the local taxpaying citizenry who paid to have their records preserved and to ensure the integrity of the land records systems in this country.

I'm Scott Perry and I approved this message.