Motor said:
A current set of postings regarding 'people finder' has made me
wonder: How exactly does one get this info? If I want to find a
veteran buddy all that shows up in a search query is 'Intellius',
'People Finder' etc.. All these sites have gotten the info from
somewhere and want me to pay them for it. Where would I get it? Since
it's public? I never see government office show up in a search
results. Just wonderin.... Thanks.
"Public record" covers a lot of territory - newspaper articles,
recorded documents at county courthouses, court proceedings (if they
haven't been closed say to protect privacy or trade secrets), and I'm
sure a whole host of stuff that I haven't run across or considered.
Nor does the term "public record" mean that it has been published on
the Internet. Legal stuff (wills, deeds, mortgages, court filings,
etc.) might be getting there, but I don't think it's there yet. And
even if it's public record, IMO there's still a cost that someone will
have to pay, either the taxpayer or the consumer. Some agencies
charge; other's don't. I'd say it's a matter of individual policy wrt
public agencies.
I look at these companies as aggregators of data. They know what
agencies and companies offer and/or sell data. They pull it all
together for you the customer if you're willing to pay the price they
ask.
If there is specific info you're looking for, then you can start with
whatever government agency might handle that type of info and contact
them directly. Or try social networks - everyone will think I mean
Facebook, but you mentioned 'veteran'. There are veteran groups that
perhaps your buddy may have joined. Or hobby. Maybe your buddy
mentioned a hobby that he/she had. Just some ideas.
