Is the Web Redefining "Public" Information?

4/4/2009

The recent standoff between the residents of a small British town and the contractor gathering images for Google Street View raises an interesting issue regarding public information. Clearly, the view of your house from a passing car is public -- available to anybody on the street. Put that same information on the Internet and it is suddenly less private.

Locally, I have seen the same issue when my town government implemented a new Geographical Information Service online and on the town's web site. I can no look up any town property map and overlay building outlines, wetlands, rivers, roads, easements, and color-coded zoning markers. I can also see the current and historical assessment data for every piece of property in town, including layout diagrams and a recent photo.

Granted, this information has always been public and available to anybody. Yet some of my fellow townsfolk are outraged that their neighbors can see how much they paid for their house and how much (or little) it is worth today. The town has responded that the information has always been available to the public and by putting the information on the web; the town is improving customer service.

While the information has always been public, the method of viewing presented barrier to access. To view the records, you needed to get to Town Hall during business hours and gather information from multiple map books and files. It could take hours to gather all of the information about a property.

This barrier to access created the appearance of privacy. Records would only be searched when there was a need for information that made the effort worthwhile.

Today, in contrast, a bored citizen (such as myself) may find himself wondering if the house down the street put up their new shed according to code.

The question is open: Do we need to rethink "public" versus "private" given that access barriers continue to fall?

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