Re:Finishing what Aaron Swartz started with PACER
by hect0r on Tuesday January 22, 2013 @03:32PM
(#5099388)
The fundamental question is who decides what is a public record and what is not? Why are your medical records private but your ex-wife's court-room accusations that you were sexually promiscuous, impotent, or secretly homosexual to be considered public records that must be "freed"?
Re:Finishing what Aaron Swartz started with PACER
by jonknee on Tuesday January 22, 2013 @05:51PM
(#5100142)
Are you really asking this? The answer is obvious--the law. If you are offended that court records are public, start lobbying to get a bill passed that protects them. Healthcare has HIPAA which is why medical records are private.
I don't have any problem with public record actually being public (and I do have a problem with public records that aren't actually public). Medical records and school transcripts are not public records. 911 calls are public, but you have to know how to request them and that usually means they aren't released unless it's a newsworthy story and a local media outlet jumps through the hoop. Visitor logs should be public (like they are for the White House). You can request anyone's FBI file after they die, but that system could be quite a bit more efficient.