Are They Public Or Private Records?

There is another category of information that falls somewhere between public record and public information. PR authors refer to it as "quasi-public" records, or government records that are accessible with restrictions. Military records fall into this category, as do school records and in some states, worker's compensation records and criminal repository records. Under some circumstances, you can obtain limited information.

Online public records databases have hundreds of government databases containing public records exist. Resources available at the US Public Records website will help you link to them as well as the many commercial vendors of public records.  Keep in mind that these data aggregators mix public record and private information. In light of recent incidents of data theft, they monitor access closely. If you use these public records service providers, pay close attention to the contract. It governs the circumstances under which you may legally use these databases.

Public records refer to information that has been filed or recorded by public agencies, such as corporate and property records. Public records are created by the federal and local government, (vital records, immigration records, real estate records, driving records, criminal records, etc.) or by the individual (magazine subscriptions, voter registration, etc.). Most essential public records are maintained by the government and many are accessible to the public either free-of-charge or for an administrative fee. Availability is determined by federal, state, and local regulations.

Public records are held in physical files. Many public records are available via Internet or other sources; even though public records are indeed "public", their accessibility is not always simple, free or easy. Some states such as California have separate policies that govern the availability of information contained in public records. The PRA or public records act states that "except for certain explicit exceptions, personal information maintained about an individual may not be disclosed without the person's consent."

Most businesses offering access to databases specialize in something particular, yet a few attempt to offer all sorts of available records to professionals in the legal, risk management, corporate, government, law enforcement, accounting and academic markets. Certain unscrupulous companies, who sell software with a promise of unlimited access to public records, generally provide nothing more than just basic information on how to access already available and generally free public Websites.  An information broker is a person or business that researches information for clients. Common uses for information brokers include market research and patent searches, but can include practically any type of information research.