Prof. Kirtley Quoted on Online Access to Property Records

Prof. Jane Kirtley was quoted in the Charlotte (NC) Observer concerning a proposal in Mecklenburg County to disable a feature permitting individuals to search for property records online using the owner's name. The county has also been asked to remove the names of law enforcement employees and crime victims from this database, citing safety concerns, which would require amending North Carolina's open records law. Prof. Kirtley said, "There really is no government information that could not be misused. So if that's your basis for cutting off information, then you're basically gutting public records laws."