I can only describe this website as scary

21BravoInDaSand · 04-13-2010, 22:07

http://www.spokeo.com/ is just a bad idea for those of us who care about our (& our loved ones) privacy, see for yourself, men. The info on there isn't even correct the majority of the time, although it's funny how we all seem to live in million dollar houses according to spokeo. I was on there but my parents weren't. Doesn't seem to have rhyme or reason since I don't have a facebook or myspace page yet my parents are both "facebookies", as I like to call them.
You can search anyone, anywhere in the US. Freakin scary & reminds me of "Heat" where Deniro's character is talking to Tom Noonan's character about getting blueprints & the amount of money in the bank & he asks how did he find all this, to which the man replies "This stuff just flies through the air. This information is beamed out all over the f!@#ing place, you just gotta know how to grab it."
To remove yourself, c+p the url with your name once you have found & clicked on yourself, go to the bottom of the page & click on Privacy & follow the steps. Entering your email is a requirement that I was skeptical of until I received a confirmation email from them immediately afterward & then searched my name again & it was indeed gone.
Oh, by the way...
http://www.ant.com/site/professional...alsoldiers.com Rank: #159,942
3 month avg: 159942 Pages view: 3.08
1 month avg: 147698 Previous rank: 184585
1 week avg: 168875 Rank evolution: NA
Yesterday: 0
Professionalsoldiers.com is the 159942th most visited website of internet.

Sigaba · 04-13-2010, 22:37

Quote:

Originally Posted by 21BravoInDaSand

Entire post.

Did you search your email addresses? The results may your IP addresses.

21BravoInDaSand · 04-13-2010, 22:44

WOW! My old page from a few years ago! Jesus!

Sigaba · 04-13-2010, 22:48

The neat thing is that in order to get your info off the site, you have to provide a valid email address which, in turn, gives them more information about you.

T-Rock · 04-14-2010, 03:11

Hey look - Michelle Obama's house is on there and their median income is 41K

http://www.spokeo.com/search?q=Miche...nois:909758697
http://www.spokeo.com/search?q=Barac...7427:909758697

So is Rahm Emanuel:
http://www.spokeo.com/search?q=Rahm%...el#:2036451877

Rod Blagojevich is on there too...LOL
http://www.spokeo.com/search?q=Rod%2...ich#:245175267

Edited to add...

And it says they're not interested in politics.....

The Bill Ayers ?
http://www.spokeo.com/search?q=Willi...nois:898739147

GratefulCitizen · 04-14-2010, 13:49

It had plenty of info wrong on me, and that was just the basic stuff.
Had the wrong physical address, too.

It does help that Page doesn't have mail delivery, and I don't have internet nor cable tv at home.
Few pictures online of family members, no names are attached to those few.

If this scares you, read Super Crunchers by Ian Ayres.
A great deal about you can be inferred from seemingly unrelated personal information.

Data mining is a powerful tool in the information age.

Crue · 04-14-2010, 14:11

Snopes take on Spokeo:

http://www.snopes.com/computer/internet/spokeo.asp

afchic · 04-14-2010, 14:30

This hits me as being like "googling" yourself. Never EVER google yourself.

Why provide more information to folks like this, on your own accord?

21BravoInDaSand · 04-14-2010, 14:33

Thanks Crue, snopes is a great internet asset & said this at the bottom of the page

NOTE: By running some trials with Spokeo, we've found that:
* The information returned to paying customers through Spokeo searches is not very detailed and is often inaccurate.
* Our repeated trials with requesting the blocking of a particular record through Spokeo's privacy page have found the procedure to be highly questionable: no attempt is made to verify that the person requesting the blocking of a record is the person identified by that record, our efforts have never resulted in a successfully blocked record, and Spokeo's customer service group has not responded to any inquiries. All of this has led some to speculate that one of Spokeo's core businesses is actually the collecting of e-mail addresses.

afchic · 04-14-2010, 14:47

Quote:

Originally Posted by NORMAL550GIRL

Wait, maybe I'm being a "knuckledragger" here, but I didn't think googling yourself added any more info than was already out there.

By googling yourself, you highlight yourself, thus making it easier for other folks to find you in the same manner.

Crue · 04-14-2010, 15:15

You also should be aware of your identity online. If you use the same name in multiple forums it is very is to start putting information together, especially if it is an "odd" screen name.

not to dime anyone out but 2 min of searching showed me one of the posters in this thread's name, school (WSU), where they work, thier picture, among other things.

Also if you own a website/domain people can find your address from whois.net

echoes · 04-14-2010, 15:39

Quote:

Originally Posted by Crue

You also should be aware of your identity online. If you use the same name in multiple forums it is very is to start putting information together, especially if it is an "odd" screen name.

not to dime anyone out but 2 min of searching showed me one of the posters in this thread's name, school (WSU), where they work, thier picture, among other things.

Well, I have Gooled my screen name a couple of time since 2004, and a ton of stuff comes up that is NOT about me. Considering I was only a part of one other web-forum, then my screen name should not lead to me, as a person! But if it does, so be it. I like TS statement, "I hide in plain site!"

Holly

GratefulCitizen · 04-14-2010, 17:19

Quote:

Originally Posted by Crue

You also should be aware of your identity online. If you use the same name in multiple forums it is very is to start putting information together, especially if it is an "odd" screen name.

not to dime anyone out but 2 min of searching showed me one of the posters in this thread's name, school (WSU), where they work, thier picture, among other things.

Also if you own a website/domain people can find your address from whois.net

You have to consider what the purposes are behind your desire for privacy.
If someone wants to actively investigate you, there's not much you can do.

My primary concern would be avoiding passive automated aggregation of personal data.
This exposes you to possible problems which haven't even been thought of yet.
(internet data is forever)

Got cable tv?
The information flows both directions.
In some places, this has been going on for nearly 30 years.
The television you watch says much.

One of the big problems of having a pile of information out there is the limitation of market choices.
Advertisements and offers will be targeted to push your psychological buttons.

Looking to buy a big-ticket item?
There may already be a "profile" in the hands of the dealer selling to you.
He'll know what to offer and what you'll pay.

You can get taken economically and not even know it.

Dozer523 · 04-14-2010, 19:52

well . . . I googled my ass and all of them led me right back here!

Leozinho · 04-14-2010, 21:18

Quote:

Originally Posted by afchic

By googling yourself, you highlight yourself, thus making it easier for other folks to find you in the same manner.

Can you explain this better?