APG Open Records Summary

One of Several Posts about Open Government Laws and Genealogy

The Association of Professional Genealogists position paper on open records contains the following summary:

• No proof that open records significantly contribute to ID theft or terrorism.
• ID thieves rarely use public records, relying instead on stolen or fraudulent data.
• Public benefits of access to records far outweighs their threat.
• Open records allow genealogists and others to do their jobs.

The APG paper recognizes that certified copies of vital records need not be made available to the public, but that non-certified informational copies are sufficient for public purposes.

The APG calls on the private sector and government to do a better job protecting confidential information.

I agree with the the APG paper.