[10664] in Public-Access_Computer_Systems_Forum
Re: LEXIS-NEXIS P-Trax Follow-Up
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Karen G. Schneider)
Thu Sep 26 20:24:15 1996
Date: Thu, 26 Sep 1996 14:22:27 -0500 (CDT)
From: "Karen G. Schneider" <kgs@bluehighways.com>
To: Multiple recipients of list PACS-L <PACS-L@UHUPVM1.UH.EDU>
Reply-To: Public-Access Computer Systems Forum <PACS-L@UHUPVM1.UH.EDU>
----------------------------Original message----------------------------
On the one hand, Kate Wakefield's post may have had a touch of "post in
haste, repent in leisure." On the other hand, she awoke many of us to a
fairly smarmy database available to the general public (unless you think
Lexis-Nexis really screens its "business customers" for high moral
standards) and searchable by SSN. It's intended to snoop on people, and
it's for sale. It may not be as awful as initial posts suggested, but it's
not something I'd like the person who lifted my wallet last month having
access to. Yes, there are other bad databases, but we weren't discussing
them--we were discussing P-Trax.
More than that, I'm startled at the posts that said, in essence, "this post
is wrong--and the Lexis-Nexis website explains why." If I were looking for
the low-down skinny on this database, I wouldn't JUST ask the people who
sell it; I'd also ask the people who use it or who have been abused by it.
That's just good librarian detective-work. The posts by folks who searched
the database, and reported on their findings, were much closer to the mark.
------------------------------------------------------------------
Karen G. Schneider * kgs@bluehighways.com * schneider.karen@epamail.epa.gov
Author, The Internet Access Cookbook (e-mail Neal-Schuman@icm.com)
Director, US EPA Region 2 Library * Cybrarian * Columnist, American Libraries
Visit our library at our new URL: http://www.epa.gov/Region2/library/
These opinions strictly mine!
