It can be unnerving to discover the amount of information that is publicly available on yourself.
Where does the information come from?
In general, the information comes from two sources:
- Governmental Agencies
- Private Companies
Government agencies include those at the federal, state, county and municipal levels. The actual information is maintained in a variety of ways. While many state agencies and highly populated county agencies are computerized, a number of them still use microfiche, microfilm, and paper to store files and indexes.
Of course, private companies often obtain government agency and/or public criminal records and use the information to create or augment another database for their business purposes. An example of this is the major credit reporting companies acquiring bankruptcy records to supplement their credit reports. By law, private companies may buy public records in bulk from government agencies that are computerized. If the information is not computerized, some private companies send staff to the agencies and gather the information by using a copy machine or typing into a laptop computer. This information can then be sold in its entirety, on a search-by-search basis or combined with other data to increase the value or scope of the database.
How does the information get there?
There are two ways:
- You have volunteered the information.
- Statutory—provided the information because the law (or a regulation) required it.
Many people unknowingly volunteer personal information that later ends up in a private database. They will provide their address or date of birth on a product warranty card, their telephone number for the phone directory and even their estimated annual income on a magazine subscription form. This information is often gathered and sold to other private companies-who may provide it to still other companies-and very soon the information is no longer private in any sense of the word.
On the other hand, there are times when you cannot avoid providing personal information. Your address on a property deed or your date of birth on a driver’s license are examples of information you are required to provide. If you are applying for a job, you may not want the employer to know your age (and to avoid charges of age discrimination, many employers don’t want to initially know either). However, if the employer orders a driving record on you, your date of birth will be shown on the driving record-which was obtained from your driver’s license. You may also believe your race, height, weight and eye color are private information, but if you are convicted or even arrested for a crime, this information may well be collected, put in a criminal records check database and sold to a private company.
What Can you Do?
If you do not want your personal information in the public domain, be wary of volunteering private information if it is not required. In cases where your information is public, whether voluntary or not, you should know what it is and correct it if it is incorrect and possibly damaging.
We acknowledge and thank BRB Publications for their assistance on this topic. For additional information on Personal Information and Public Records, The Sourcebook to Public Record Information (currently in its 8th Edition) is recommended. www.brbpub.com
