Court keeps private property owners removed from web search

By DAVID PITT
Associated Press

Property owners who ask to remove their names from online property searches to make finding their address more difficult may keep their names confidential under a ruling published by the Iowa Supreme Court on Friday. The case stems from a 2017 request by a Des Moines Register reporter for the Polk County assessor to release the names of people who wanted to disable the search-by-name function in property records online searches. The Iowa Public Information Board and a state judge concluded that the list of names was public record. A majority of justices on the high court, however, said the list falls under an exception to the public records law and should remain confidential.