Public and private, sunshine and reign.

• Position: IN FOCUS: A Message from the Editors

Something is amiss in the world of records and information: Too many public records are being kept in the dark, while too much private, personal data is being aired in sunlight.

First of all, too many U.S. politicians are deleting electronic records, depriving the public of information they may be entitled to see. Nikki Swartz detailed a recent example of this in an "On the Edge" article on p. 22 in this issue. Missouri Gov. Matt Blunt and his administration are currently under investigation by the state attorney general for possibly destroying public records in the form of e-mails. Last September, the Blunt administration fired a staff attorney, Scott Eckersley, saying he was let go "for cause." Eckersley contends that he was fired because he challenged Blunt's position on e-mail retention and warned the governor's staff that state law requires them to save e-mails. Blunt's staff said Eckersley never told them to retain e-mails. When pressed, Blunt told an Associated Press reporter, "Our policy is to follow the Sunshine Law. That's it." (See "On the Edge" for more about Missouri's Sunshine Law.)

Secondly, too many marketers and retailers are exposing too many citizens' private information to sunlight--letting both hackers and legitimate marketers steal a glance and maybe more. For instance, in late November, Facebook, the social networking website, said it would rein in parts of a new advertising program that send messages to users' friends about what they're buying online. However, the website relented only after more than 50,000 members signed a petition objecting to the advertising program.

Of course, any type of personal electronic information has the potential to suddenly turn back and bite an individual. As a November 25, 2007, "60 Minutes" TV segment reveals, even using a credit card while shopping at the mall can make you vulnerable to ID theft. "Do you think twice when typing in your credit-card number online, but have no problem handing over your plastic card at a store?" "60 Minutes" correspondent Lesley Stahl asks. "Well, actually, you may have it backward," Stahl said. "Your personal information may be more secure in cyberspace than at the mall down the road."

That's because, the segment explained, earlier in 2007, TJX, the parent company of T.J. Maxx and Marshalls, disclosed it had suffered the worst high-tech heist...