This is not okay. This is bad. This is downright evil.
The vast majority of people searches are largely behind paywalls. You don’t really get much identifying information without paying a fee. And that will turn off most bad actors.
But now, you can get everything you’ve ever wanted, including previous addresses, phone numbers, and even friends and family… all for free, at one site:
Now, I will say that it’s out of date. I searched myself to see…
It does have me at my current address, as well as my most recent addresses, but it does not give my current phone number or email address. It gives my old phone number, a phone number that was never mine directly but was connected to me, and an old email address I no longer use. It does, however, give my actual relatives.
I should say up front that I’m not very anonymous online. Everyone here knows my real, actual name, and much of my stuff on Facebook is public (not everything, but enough to tease out even more info). Thanks to privilege, I’ve never actually worried about my real life identity online. This is who I am.
But even I can see why this is horrid. Even I can see how this can, and will, be used by stalkers and doxxers to attack people. Hell… I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s happened already.
They do give you an option to have your records removed the from the site. I’m removing mine, largely so I can show y’all how it works.
First, go here. That’s the record removal link. Check the box agreeing that you’re an actual human being and not a robot, and complete the captcha. Then hit “begin removal”. You should be taken back to the front page.
I searched for myself again and…
Oh.
I’m still there.
I guess it’s a process? I guess I have to be removed manually? And they’ll fucking get to it when they fucking can?
This is not okay. First off, if something like this is even going to exist, it should be opt-in, not opt-out. Second, the record removal should be instantaneous. It shouldn’t be a “request”. It should happen as soon as the removal request form is filled out.
This is bad. This is very bad.
If you don’t care, that’s fine. But please let others who might care know that their information could easily be out there ripe for the taking.
They might just be using the “removal” link as a verification that the data is connected to a real person. Request removal means that the info is accurate, so keep it. (/paranoid)
Rather hard to imagine anyone doing this as a “public service” -- so how do they get their payoff?
I input my name, town and state. They don’t have me, and those three things are common knowledge on the ‘net.
They had the correct age and middle initial, but switched the current city with a former one. Also says I am related to people I never heard of.
I have a couple people’s info that I check against such databases. One is me, and I’ve got all my personal details on the web. Another is a friend who makes no real effort to be findable. Another is deliberately not particularly findable. The last tries to be off the web entirely.
No “find a person” internet software has ever found the last of my list. One once found a reference to my stealthy friend. Me and my other friend are easy to find. And this crappy site didn’t find either of us. I’m not particularly worried.
The main issue with these things is deciding whether they should be correct or not. I’ve been pondering the idea of trying to promote a “global make yourself a fake internet identity” day, in which the idea would be to make a fake identity of an existing person. You know, make an FtB identity for Donald Trump. Or Jennifer Lawrence. Whoever. It would completely demolish certain algorithms. (and that’s not even close to my worst idea for how to screw with these goons, I’m just not sure that “being in prison” is my favorite exercise regimen)
Marcus Ranum @ # 5: … people’s info that I check … The last tries to be off the web entirely.
Doesn’t that work against stealthfriend’s expressed goal?
sez pierce r butler @6: “Doesn’t that work against stealthfriend’s expressed goal?”
Not sure how it could work against stealthfriend’s goal. Dude wants to be off the net; this is a test of how well he’s succeeded in staying off the net. Or are you thinking that the mere fact of asking for information about a person, is enough to put that info on the net?