(+) Why Isn't It Free?

The following is a Plus Edition article written by and copyright by Dick Eastman.

One topic that surprises me has appeared several times recently in comments from this newsletter's readers. Some people have questioned the idea of placing public domain data online and charging for access to that information, as is done by Ancestry.com, Footnote.com, FindMyPast, WorldVital Records, and others. One person claimed that it is illegal to charge for access public domain data and another reader stated that the online sites are "violating my constitutional rights to view the census."

Sorry, folks, but that simply isn't true.

The remainder of this article is for Plus Edition subscribers only.

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