subject: News With Public Record Search [print this page] Search engines are amazing tools, are they not? It seems that with a few choice words, a couple of points ands clicks, and the entire world of information comes flooding into your screen. While the value of most of this information will constantly be debated, the fact remains that a public record search has become a powerful part of the mediated landscape.
To begin, why would one want to do a search on an individual. Businesses in the process of hiring individuals certainly would, and have long relied on information provided from those who know the applicant. This serves to weed out liars and otherwise undesirable individuals from entering into that particular work place. This seems fair enough to most.
Most folks must endure a background check before moving in a rental as well. Previous evictions and the like are often part of the public records, and this could be valuable information for those who have the most to lose. Again, this seems fair to most, if not an inconvenience for many.
Potential mates have been known to look each other up online, with mixed results. Some dating coaches advocate looking up things like financial records and arrest reports of potential partners. While this is usually rather difficult to do, some have had some success, much to the embarrassment of others.
As to those with pasts, or questionable presents, many have been irreparably damaged by dug up dirt and gossip. An example is the spate of homosexual outings that occur from time to time. Here lines may be crossed as well, for what consenting adults do on their own is up to them, or so it would seem. Some feel that public figures deserve greater scrutiny. The problem is that with the internet we all have the potential for being a public figure.
On the plus side, genealogy buffs have been able to complete incredible amounts of work by doing such searches. What once took years of fieldwork can now be accomplished in an afternoon at home. Families have been reunited, for example, and supposedly some lost fortunes have been found again through online searches. For research of all kinds such a search is nothing but a boon.
Doing a public record search is something that is available to all of us. Whether you are the searcher or the one being searched seems to skew the opinion one has on the process. Privacy is changing very rapidly in this electronic age, so where does the responsibility lie? Perhaps the individual on either side of this issue should rethink their reasons for doing so.
