The problem is partly brought on by technology. For example, the apartment complex which requires 3 months' deposit for felons can only do so because court rec

The problem is partly brought on by technology. For example, the apartment complex which requires 3 months' deposit for felons can only do so because court records have been converted to indexed databases on networked systems, so it is easy and cheap for the apartment owner to pull Mark's criminal history. In the past, the openness of court records was balanced by the difficulty of figuring out the right courthouse, physically driving there and going over stacks of dusty paper files. Technology has destroyed that balance; citizens can no longer expect any degree of privacy with respect to their history with the criminal justice system. As a society we need to strike a balance between the privacy of individual defendants, the necessity of open records as a check on the government's power, and the apartment owner's right to set criteria for their tenants.