"There's a lot of value in public records, and shutting down access to them" over privacy concerns would be a step backwards, she said. "Rather than wrap a lot of fear and sensationalism" around the issue, what is needed is an informed discussion of the issue by legislators and privacy advocates.

The list of document images posted on county Web sites as part of the public record includes copies of property and tax records, motor vehicle information and court files. In some cases, documents relating to military discharges, family court records, juvenile court records, probate law documents and death certificates are also available. Much of the information has been freely available for public purchase and inspection at county offices for a long time, said Sue Baldwin, director of the Broward County Records Division.

"Professional list-making companies have always purchased copies of records and data from recorders to use in the creation of specialized marketing lists, which they sell," she said. So, too, have title insurance underwriters and credit-reporting agencies. "Land records are public all over the country. This is not a new situation."

Even so, privacy advocates say the move to post public records on the Web without taking out personally identifiable information has greatly broadened access to sensitive data and the potential for misuse. "The simple truth is these records were safe in the courthouse for 160 years," Bloys said. Now, all it takes is Internet access and a very rudimentary idea of how to look for data to find all sorts of information, he said.

Ostergren, for instance, claims to have harvested more than 17,000 Social Security numbers simply by "messing around" in county Web sites over the past two years. Among the countless nuggets Bloys turned up was the complete medical history of a terminally ill county official.