Privacy lol. What do you have to hide? Plus all someone has to do is go dig through your garbage where most people toss their life.

If you have been on the internet for some time check out spokeo.com Some of you might just be slightly surprised at what just one site has on you. Your privacy went poof as soon as you got on the internet.

BeenThereDoneThat,
There is no opt-out clause.

anyone want to know what's out there? go to switchboard.com and type in your name. Very good chance you'll find a map to your residence right there. Then with google maps it can be seen from a roadside view point. The public information is already very much available. Many of you probably already provide so much about your personal lives on gutter blog sites like myspace, facebook, twitter, etc. that the crooks wouldn't even need to look up the government-provided site. Shame there is many of you post pics and names of your children too, where they go to school, etc. Now THAT's something people should be concerned about. And you need look no further than the nearest mirror to find someone to blame.

It is my right as a homeowner to know the assessment of my neighbors property values to ensure that I have a fair assesment of my own property. That is why this information is public. Dont like it dont own any property then!

Over $11,000 for a sign???? Must be a lot of $ floating around.

This is not a "what if" incident, but one that has happened MANY times. An ex comes looking for his/her ex who has a restraining order on him/her. Him or her ask the local police dept where this person lives because they are old friends, or something. Cop tells them and a crime is committed. Due to lawsuits from these incidents, cops can't give that info out. Now they are making a person searchable without even leaving their own homes. This isn't "Open Records", which requires you give a reason why you want that information. There is some control when you have to ask for it and most of the time you have to pay a copying fee or something. This will make ANYONE who owns a home a potential target of retaliation.

BeenThereDoneThat - this personal info is available upon request - ok. But the City Council is making it available WITHOUT any request - wait 'till the legal ramifications arrive.

10 calls a day at 5 minutes each.
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If we saved that amount of time where I work the director would say "...great! Now take that amount out of your budget"
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What is going to become of the 50 minutes per day savings the city is going to realize from moving these records to the Internet?

JustAskMe...they say that you are what you eat. Did you have fruit loops for breakfast this morning? Ownership of real estate falls under the umbrella of public information. No one is opening anyone up to any lawsuits by voting on whether to put it back on the website, where it once was. A few years back, the city removed the ownership information because of a few chronic complainers...now they're just putting it back.

You can access the Janesville site by going to,city of janesville, and click on the parcel info site. enter the address and you have all the current info.

When the census taker stops by, keep an eye on him. His real job, with great slight of hand, is to implant a micro-chip into your left earlobe.

Simply put, property ownership is public information, and rightfully so. People who think their privacy is being violated because of this are way off-base, and they clearly do not grasp the concept of open records. Additionally, it does not matter if the requestor of this information is a business or an otherwise interested party. It's important to remember that the on-line search is by the parcel number or address, not by property owner name.

makes me wonder 'what's next'?

Our city has unwittingly inreased it potential for costly litigation resulting from this 'disclosure of personal information', now that the Janesville City Council actually 'voted' on this.

This information has always been public information--before electronic information you had to go to the courthouse to look it up in big books. A practice that for sure limited the "want to knows" from the "need to knows."

moveon24, the money from the TIF district must be used for projects that benefit the TIF district. It can't be used elsewhere in the city.

winer, you can go to www.co.rock.wi.us, click on GIS / Maps, then (if the property address is in the city of Janesville), click on Search Database under the Real Property Database Access heading. Enter the house number and all or part of the street name, and you'll get a link to the property's details, including the owner's name.

How does one access this information...I'd love to know the name of the negligent slum lord that has ruined our beautiful neighborhood.

The article said that names are already on the County's website. Your information is already out there.

selfempl, if you feel like your privacy is being violoated, then you should take your case to the County. The City of Janesville is only making "public" the very same information that is already "public" on the County's website. What "private" information are you afraid of? The website will show a property owner's name along with the specs of the property. The property specs have been there all along. All that they're adding is who the owner is. Not a big deal. If you don't want your name disclosed, make a phone call and ask that yours be hidden. End of dilemma.

if you have deep concerns for your privacy why would you suggest someone 'Get in your car and go research the info at city hall or the court house'?? is your privacy any safer if they do it that way?? just sayin...

I have deep concerns once again for our privacy, and potential safety risk of putting my information so readily accessible for any outside predator to easily access from the comfort of their shop full of stolen merchandise, or the simple nosy neighbor. I understand saving money on the staffs use of time. But isn't that what we are paying them for? There are other ways of redirecting those calls. No one likes the phone systems that put you through a series of prompts, but that is one way of screening calls. If you are truly using this information for business purposes, than have a small access fee to be paid by the "qualifying" vendors who may need this information. Now you have protected our privacy and raised revenue to boot. Anyone else, tough luck! Get in your car and go research the info at city hall or the court house. The county is no better in their practices of dolling out his personal information. Perhaps we should all use alias names then when we register a property.

The only ones who have rights anymore are the ones who own nothing and expect everything be provided to them for free. Thanks again, Janesville, and Jim Doyle (at least he protects us from "killer milk"!).

Way to go Tom Mac. You seem to be a very sensible council member. $11,000 is a bunch of money and could be used elsewhere. True marketing is not the outside cover of a proposal (a sign) but the substance within. Wow. I wonder what the heck we need to do to actually have some people running this city that can engage in some critical thinking.