Worried about the hypothetical privacy dangers resulting from “data mining” by federal security agencies chasing terrorists? Then you might want to spare a thought for the privacy implications of a commercial service called SmartJury, affiliated with the same database company that has been selling information on private citizens to the government for antiterrorist use. As Alex Tabarrok notes, SmartJury promises to provide trial lawyers with

real-time access to public record information on potential jurors. Within seconds of entering potential jurors, you will receive reports including information such as: Criminal Records; Political Party Affiliations; Bankruptcies; Corporate Affiliations; Real Property Ownership (including value); Motor Vehicle Registrations; Web Site Domain Names; and 2000 Census Information (including median household income, average age, average years of education, and median home value).

Adds Tabarrok: “Helpfully, SmartJury also provides demographic information from survey results to predict how each juror will vote! …the board of SmartJury is littered with well-placed government types like Jack Kemp, William Bennett and Robert Kennedy Jr.”

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