The local governments have building codes to enforce that are intended to develop and maintain health and safety issues as well as other aspects of construction that have an impact on the community. If you think building codes are too restrictive you might go take a look at unregulated areas, like some of the neighborhoods in Tijuana, and see what happens when the comunities don’t enforce standards.
There’s a distinct difference between looking up a sale of a neighboring property to use that information to make a decision or perform an analysis, and looking over our neighbor’s fence to watch them sunbathing in the nude for our personal gratification. Although our society apparently revels in invading the privacy of celebrities and seeing photos of their cellulite and bulging bellies in the tabloids, most civil people will draw the line at openly scrutinizing the contents of the shopper’s basket while standing in line with them at the supermarket. A Japanese family of 4 can live in a 400 SqFt apartment by scrupulously observing personal boundaries. Obviously, we all have our boundaries.
Here’s a rhetorical question: would you approach your neighbor and ask the same question that you’re trying to answer off this database? In the case of sales prices or property attributes, maybe so – I do it all the time when I’m working. In the case of paying their taxes, probably not. If you wouldn’t feel comfortable doing it to their face then how much more socially acceptable should it be when you’re doing it behind their back?
All of this ties back to the purpose of gathering and using the information. If you’re using the information constructively then that’s one thing, if you’re using the information for entertainment purposes then that’s something else.
Just my opinion. Other people can and do disagree.
