Before conducting a free public record search, the first step is to understand the difference between public record and private information. Most users are not clear about this classification. While most personal information is unethically leaked, there is private information that sometimes becomes public and can be found out legally. Which Records are Classified as Public?

Government records fall under the classification of public records. Real estate records, records on liens and judgments, court records, professional licenses, flings on intellectual property and business records such as UCCs, business and public company filings are public records.

Are All Government Records Classified Under Public Records?

There are some exceptions to this classification. In most states, juvenile court records are not considered as public records. In fact, public records are determined by state or federal records. For example, in the United States, the federal laws differ from state to state. So the definition and categorization of public record is different in each state.

For instance, you may search for your missing family member through voter registration records in the US state Maine, but this may not be accessed in other US states. Similarly, courthouses can requested to help you search records of felonies and misdemeanors, but a state’s criminal agency which maintains criminal histories, may not allow you to access the official records on crimes.

Which Records are Classified as Private?

Confidential or personal records are classified as private records. Such records include an individual’s medical and financial records, insurance information and most importantly, his or her Social Security Number. For companies, confidential information such as undisclosed business methodologies and practices, unpatented ideas, designs and formulas come under private records.

Do Private Records Become Public?

Private records can be made public through unethical or illegitimate means. There are many methods to leak private information about a company or individual. An expert hacker can trick a computer program and distribute information through the internet. So, it can become public, though unethically.

Some discontented employees also have the habit to share secret company information and make them public, which may result in huge company losses.

There are many other illegal ways that can leak your public information. If you are a job seeker and have the habit of posting resumes to public forums, chances are that your personal information including phone number and SSN may become public through an illegal identity theft business.

The above distinction between public and private records was meant to inform people who were of the opinion that ‘all government records are public’ and all ‘private records cannot be made public’. It is better to be safe than sorry and so one should understand the laws of each state before conducting any public record search.

If you would like to find out any of this type of information, your going to need a public record service proven to perform.  Check out our public record reviews for what we found to work the best.