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'I Spy' Online Means More Info, Privacy ConcernsWhether you're trying to reconnect with a lost love, looking to dig up dirt on your neighbor, or searching for one piece of info for a business deal, a new generation of Web sites promises to do all the work for you. It's a trend giving "I Spy" a whole new meaning. The Web has been used forever to find general information like names and addresses. Lee Tien of the Electronic Frontier Foundation says, "More recently what we've seen the growth of is search engines that do specialty types of information." "ZABA Search" scours public records from agencies all over the country and it even identifies your relatives. "Spock" and "Wink" link to professional and personal information including profiles on social networking sites. Tech experts say all the info on these sites is public. The difference: now it's onestop shopping. "Spokeo" is among the newest aggregators. It partners with dozens of social networks. Just join, plug in your email and it searches your address book. The updates show up on a single page. Ming Chiang is a big fan and he says "if they updated MySpace, for instance, then I would be allowed to go onto Spokeo to see what they've posted." But remember if you're keeping track of people they may be keeping tabs on you as well. The Electronic Frontier Foundation's Tien cautions "The information, you put into a social networking site can lead you to end up having information about you exposed that you thought never would be." Not only to site members but to the general public. The caution goes for shopping sites, too. If you don't edit the settings, profiles, pictures, videos and something as simple as your shopping "Wish List" may be out there For all eyes to see. That's something Ming thinks about but he'd change it if he felt "uncomfortable for some reason, then I would adjust those privacy settings." But overall, Ming likes the one-stop method. He says it's a simple way to stay in the loop with his friends. Most of the sites offer up information for free, others require you to pay a fee ranging from about $3 up to about $50 to see more extensive results. |
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