This happens more than you may want to think. I see it most often when a county hands their indexing responsibility's over to software providers and imaging companies. I've seen as much as six months indexing and images completely disappear from the digital record in this way. In this particular case the county had changed software providers and the information was lost in the transfer. Fortunately, the old hand-written indexes, original documents and computer indexes from the original software were still available at the courthouse.

Any time changes are made in a county's indexing there is a huge risk the data may be compromised. In 2012 I reported in One Million Records Missing From County Site on a case where information was removed from the county's website after suspected identity thieves were found to be in possession of sensitive data mined from county websites nationwide. Local abstractors were able to access the complete information at the courthouse. Online searchers only learned the data was missing after the six-month audit was completed and officials announced the data was back online.

Who's liable?

The website disclaimer emphasizes that the County does not certify the authenticity of the information contained on the site and assumes no responsibility for any information you may or may not find. You assume all responsibility when you agree to the site's terms of service.

David Bloys

Davick Services

 

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