Lexis-Nexis Agrees to Let Consumers See Data

Bowing to concerns about electronic privacy intrusions, Reed Elsevier unit Lexis-Nexis said it will allow consumers to easily look at some of the personal information it keeps on file about them. The move comes two weeks after U.S. regulators grilled the online industry about the potential for privacy invasions. The Federal Trade Commission hearing was in response to concerns that companies offering computerized information are compromising consumers’ privacy rights. David Medine, the FTC’s director of credit practices, called the Lexis-Nexis decision “a very positive step.” Lexis-Nexis said it would continue to keep the bulk of information it collects off limits to those other than paying subscribers such as lawyers, investigators and other professionals. But it said it planned within the year to permit consumers to review certain databases that include personal information about them. The company said it still needed to work out how it will verify consumers’ identities who seek information.