Public Records, To Keep or Not to Keep?

Ponder on all the personal data that are documented:  They can either be bank records, credit card records, employment records, hospital records, insurance records, pharmaceutical records, telephone company records, scholastic records, tax records. Even on video rental and cable listings, and a whole lot more!  Imagine how many other personal records that are existing.  Some of these records can be accessed with no difficulty at all.  Which should be kept in  private, and which should be made as part of public records?

With so much as just sending an e-mail message, a lot of information can be obtained.  Hard to believe, right?  The common notion is that the e-mail messages does not contain anything vital.  Do take note that before a subscription  is activated on the Internet, vital information is taken.  This is just one way that makes people susceptible to malicious intent.

Remember the movie "The Net"?  Sandra Bullock's identity was altered completely just by hacking information regarding Social Security Number, Medical Records, and other personal data that are available online.  Of course, things may have been exaggerated with the movie, but is not at all impossible to happen.

Now back to reality, most problems arise when people are looking for available jobs.  After presenting documents to the employers, a routinary background check will be done.  Medical Records and Criminal Records are the most common files that are accessed.  It is, of course, the right of any business to screen applicants and pick whoever they deem fit for the position. Though some may only take these information as a standard operating procedure, some would take these public records in as far as discriminating applicants. 

Another problem with the public access to such sensitive information regarding individuals is finding a proper home.  Most landowners would do background check on potential lessees and of course, who would want a neighbor with a bad record?  Sometimes, providing a protected, clean and affordable housing could be a hindrance.

With all the information that are in stored in the database, people's greatest concern is the data's accuracy.  Countless articles can be found regarding people who have had errors with the documentation of their records and it is a tough battle and nightmarish to have it cleared over the years.

This article is not about raising paranoia to individuals but only to make people aware that privacy is a right.  Technological development makes a very big impact regarding privacy issues and this is the most important thing that should be considered.

The advantages of technology that benefit people, such as having quick access to public records, preventing fraudulence, access to other information neededa and a whole lot more.  People are having a hard time catching up with the legislation to look after the rights of privacy of individuals that are available.  Weighing the advantages of such technology up to the probabability of its misuse.

What one can practice, though, is to continuously check their own public records and see to it that what is written there is factual to prevent any misdocumentation.

Security is an issue in the society and surely nobody would want all their files exposed to the whole world.  Having people arrested because of hacking the system is just one minor solution to the privacy issue that is duscussed.  With the continuous advancement of today's technology, one will not know who or when or even how information can be used against themselves.