http://emergentchaos.com/archives/2005/03/public-availability-of-private-information.html The Emergent Chaos Jazz Combo Wed, 01 Feb 2012 19:20:40 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 http://emergentchaos.com/archives/2005/03/public-availability-of-private-information.html/comment-page-1#comment-607 Geoff Thu, 31 Mar 2005 16:29:31 +0000 http://emergentchaos.com/?p=600#comment-607 What about people who are charged but whose cases are dismissed? Do they automatically lose their right to privacy too? The cost mentioned above is not a result of a choice made by companies. Quite the opposite – the background checking industry is extremely competitive and prices are kept as low as possible. The issue is that it is just plain expensive to do a thorough. accurate background check because of all the legwork involved. Information compiled into “national??? databases (a quality national search doesn’t yet exist) is cheaper but highly inaccurate. I agree that we'll get there eventually, but the cost will be high and there will need to be a high level of cooperation among all law enforcement and judicial agencies. I don't see it happening soon. What about people who are charged but whose cases are dismissed? Do they automatically lose their right to privacy too?
The cost mentioned above is not a result of a choice made by companies. Quite the opposite – the background checking industry is extremely competitive and prices are kept as low as possible. The issue is that it is just plain expensive to do a thorough. accurate background check because of all the legwork involved. Information compiled into “national??? databases (a quality national search doesn’t yet exist) is cheaper but highly inaccurate.
I agree that we’ll get there eventually, but the cost will be high and there will need to be a high level of cooperation among all law enforcement and judicial agencies. I don’t see it happening soon.

]]> http://emergentchaos.com/archives/2005/03/public-availability-of-private-information.html/comment-page-1#comment-606 Cypherpunk Thu, 31 Mar 2005 14:33:16 +0000 http://emergentchaos.com/?p=600#comment-606 Do criminals have a right to privacy, to keep their criminal background confidential? I don't think society would make that choice. The inevitable consequence is that criminal background checks will only get easier as time goes on. We need to deal with that reality and not pretend that we can make it go away by raising prices. Do criminals have a right to privacy, to keep their criminal background confidential? I don’t think society would make that choice. The inevitable consequence is that criminal background checks will only get easier as time goes on. We need to deal with that reality and not pretend that we can make it go away by raising prices.

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