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

[Declan McCullagh <declan () well com>]

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.

[...]




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