Wikipedia
Lexbase is a Swedish website and database that was launched on 27 January 2014, enabling users to perform searches on people and companies who had been the subject of criminal trials during the last five years. The site had a map function where the address of the subject of the criminal trial was revealed.
Lexbase was closed down by the Internet service provider Bahnhof on 29 January 2014, just two days after launch, after the site came under heavy criticism from Swedish media, government and the general public.
Through a virtual server by the company City Networks, Lexbase was able to relaunch again on 31 January 2014, however it was closed down once again within hours of becoming available.
Since the beginning of April, Lexbase is up and running again, probably operating from servers based in several countries. Lexbase not only provides access to a persons criminal record, but also to the verdict, judgment and sentencing. The map was relaunched at the end of May.
Lexbase owes its existence to the Principle of Public Access (offentlighetsprincipen) regarding official documents, a right guaranteed by the Constitution of Sweden since 1766. The Principle of Public Access guarantees that official documents of government agencies can be accessed by the general public.
There has been a discussion in Sweden whether the Principle of Public Access is adapted to the modern society, but since the Principle of Public Access is guaranteed in the Swedish constitution it is very hard and time-consuming to change it. Moreover, Principle of Public Access is a source of pride among Swedish decision makers and citizens, since it allows a very high degree of transparency. Most noteworthy is that it was one of the major exception that Sweden was allowed to maintain when it joined the European Union, and Swedish EU negotiators stubbornly struggled to this end at that time.