Mr Kraft realised that America's so-called public-records information is really a misnomer, since ordinary Americans have no clean and easy way to find out what is in their record, or to correct it if it is wrong.

ECONOMIST: Identity theft

Plenty of consumers would like the safeguards of being able to find out what information is held about them, to correct it when it is wrong, and to be consulted before information about their personal habits is sold or used for purposes for which it was not originally gathered.

ECONOMIST: Data dogfights