Email addresses of citizens not private - WXOW News 19 La Crosse, WI – News, Weather and Sports |

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) - Minnesota cities and municipalities that receive requests for citizen email addresses are legally required to release them.

Residents provide their email addresses when they sign up for alerts on city council meetings, street maintenance and other local government information. But, what they may not realize is that under Minnesota's Government Data Practices Act the addresses are public information.

Roseville resident Brent Engebretson recently learned his email address had been disclosed. Engebretson tells Minnesota Public Radio News there was nothing he could do about the release. Roseville released 4,000 email addresses in response to a data request.

In Minnesota, government data is presumed to be public unless it's specifically classified otherwise under state law.