FC: Citing privacy, Virginia only puts some court info online

From: Declan McCullagh (declanat_private)
Date: Sun Jul 01 2001 - 05:59:33 PDT

  • Next message: Declan McCullagh: "FC: Feds raid unapproved cloning lab in attempt to stifle research"

    http://www.timesdispatch.com/vametro/MGBEFZO2MOC.html
    
    Court case information goes online
    Effort raises some debate about privacy concerns
    BY ALAN COOPER
    TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER
    Jul 01, 2001
    
    [...]
    
    For now, the Judicial Services Advisory Committee has decided not to put 
    such identifiers as street address, Social Security number and full date of 
    birth online.
    
    The Internet will have city and ZIP Code, and the month and day, but not 
    the year of the birth date.
    
    [...]
    
    Complaints about the inability to use the LOPAS system were an impetus for 
    the Internet site, Baldwin said.
    
    Both systems contain a substantial limitation on searches for specific 
    individuals - they do not permit a statewide search.
    
    Landon said he finds the limitations placed on the Internet site "a 
    reasonable compromise as long as the traditional information is still 
    available back at the courthouse."
    
    Kennedy, among court clerks almost certainly the strongest advocate for 
    electronic access, has a different view.
    
    "I deplore a two-tiered, double-standard system," he said. "It shouldn't be 
    public in the courthouse and private on the Net."
    
    He said the concern about personal intrusion "is much overblown by privacy 
    advocates." If there is a consensus that something should be private, he 
    said, it should be sealed at the courthouse as well.
    
    [...]
    
    
    
    
    -------------------------------------------------------------------------
    POLITECH -- Declan McCullagh's politics and technology mailing list
    You may redistribute this message freely if you include this notice.
    To subscribe, visit http://www.politechbot.com/info/subscribe.html
    This message is archived at http://www.politechbot.com/
    -------------------------------------------------------------------------
    



    This archive was generated by hypermail 2b30 : Sun Jul 01 2001 - 07:26:53 PDT