Through one of my subscribed content in internet, I got to know about this site http://www.zabasearch.com/ . You can go to this site and type the name of anyone in US and get their contact details which are essentially phone numbers and residential address. The site claims in a article that all the information available has been searched from publicly available databases, hence there is no breach of privacy here. Now essentially what this site is doing that it is organizing the information available in public domain and making it available to you on your fingertips through a simple search engine. You can read the article at
http://www.wired.com/news/privacy/0,1848,67407,00.html?tw=newsletter_to
Now the question that it pops up is, is it a violation of Privacy or not? I would say Yes and No. No because technically this information has been provided by the owner in public domain so essentially it is available for anyone to access and hence use. Yes, because without this organized information with the search engine, you would never be able to trace the information. And probably it is under this basic premise, people would have provided their personal information.
In the global and connected world, are our personal lives also going to become globally available to anyone who wants to connect into it?
I just searched myself and it is scary that they could access my phone number and address. I don't believe I would be comfortable with this. However, this is the changing age. As you said aptly, " our personal lives also going to become globally available to anyone who wants to connect into it"
ReplyDeleteInteresting..I couldn't find myself though.
ReplyDeleteWell the main Culprit in this game are the providers of residential phone service.
Its quite an equivalent of "Yellow Pages Online".While we never cared about our name being printed in the Yellow book but now since its being easily availaible - its a cause of concern for us.
I have been in US for couple of years now but never had a phone at my residence.
WOW! it would have been so good if india has a site like that. I would love to get listed globally.
ReplyDelete"..In the global and connected world, are our personal lives also going to become globally available to anyone who wants to connect into it?.." YES, I am waiting for that day.
perspective, that really sucks.. But, I am very much interested of going online.. one incident which made me feel to go online, I had to meet a complete stranger for a important business deal, the only way to recognize him was to call him after going to Brigade road pizza hut and then he would direct me to his table.. and all of a sudden my mobile charge was down.. it was off and i don't remember his phone number... the only thing which saved me was my habit of saving phone numbers online on my server.. it was urgent, i just went to web world, went online copied his number, called him from pizza hut help table... that solved my problem, otherwise I would have lost a good deal..
ReplyDeleteIf we can search any one online then that would really help, yes, the government should make a law to stop this direct advertising.. That would really help..
These days what annoys me most are the calls from all possible Credit card sellers, insurance sellers, mobile phone connection sellers...don;t know how to stop this menace...
ReplyDelete-Anu