Sweden Tries to Lose Reputation As Snoopers' Paradise

For those of an inquisitive disposition, Sweden has long been a paradise. Thanks to its long tradition of openness, tabloid journalists, employers and ordinary nosy parkers are legally able to access information on the salaries and tax bills of their fellow countrymen. But 241 years after its first freedom of information law, there are signs that Sweden is rediscovering a taste for privacy.

A popular search website has shut down a facility which allowed Swedes to snoop on each others' salary information anonymously and free of charge, amid growing public disquiet and pressure from the authorities.

The site, Ratsit.se, was set up last November offering instant searches of personal financial data. Simply by typing in a person's name, users were able to learn how much they earned, owed, had saved and paid in tax.

Though the information was already publicly available, spying into your colleagues' and neighbors' finances had never been so easy. The site's popularity surged, with 610,000 of the country's 9 million people registering as users, leading regulators to express concern that the function was being abused and could encourage fraud.

Hans Karlof, a lawyer at the Swedish data inspection board, said it had received "an avalanche" of complaints after the site's launch from people who felt the facility was being used unfairly.

"Your neighbor knows what you're making, your brother-in-law knows what you're making, and people around you can know whether you're on the records for outstanding payments. It's private and a bit embarrassing," he told Associated Press.

"I do think our service is justified, because things like wages should be transparent," said Ratsit's chief executive, Anders Johansson. "A lot of people use it to negotiate their pay."

The national tax board's response was to threaten to supply tax information - which it is legally required to do - only in paper form, which would have increased the website's administrative costs.

Ratsit had no option but to restrict the service; in the two weeks before the function was suspended last week, more than 2m credit searches were made.

Information may now only be accessed after paying a fee of 15 kronor (£1) for 10 searches.

But what may serve as a deterrent to users is the fact that their checks are no longer anonymous: those being inquired about are emailed the details of the people doing the prying.