<p>I know we have had discussions on here about Facebook and MySpace. I told my children they should be aware that whatever they put on there can possibly be linked to them in the future, so they should make good choices. (“Do you think we’re stupid, Mom?”)</p>
<p>Anyway, today I Googled myself to see if anything showed up. I was perhaps expecting some professional links. I saw a reunion link with my name, so I clicked on it. It listed all of the cities I have lived in(all three of them-lol),my age, and the names of my husband, brother-in-law, my children, and my deceased mother-in-law. It also had the cities they live in. </p>
<p>Where do they get this information? I understand my name and address and maybe even my age, but those relationships? I’m not a member of Facebook, MySpace, or any of those other kind of groups. I feel very weird right now.</p>
<p>Oh gosh. I did same with my name; stopped after 6 pages of Google. Someone had posted first grade picture on it! There are maps to office, price of home, etc. Ughh</p>
<p>“What was the website/webpage that had it all listed? That would be the first thing to deal with.”</p>
<p>It was some kind of reunion website. I’d have to go back to find the exact name, but I don’t think there’s anything I can do about it. I understand that public records are just that and that things that are published can appear on the internet (awards, newspaper articles, etc,). THIS made me feel strange because it was a kind of compilation of information about me. It’s like Big Brother is watching.</p>
<p>Sportsmama–Go to the website below and put in your name and city/state. You’ll find all of the information that you mentioned. Plus, if you wanted to pay for additional information,e.g., a credit report, these folks would send it to you. I know when I entered my name, I found the information about me was on other websites as well as personal information that probably came from public sources. I agree with you–there’s something Big-Brotherish about it all.
[Pipl</a> - People Search](<a href=“http://www.pipl.com%5DPipl”>http://www.pipl.com)</p>
<p>When I Googled my name, I also added the city I currently live in so that I might narrow the search and come up with relevant results. </p>
<p>Maybe I need to search for that old thread because I am not laughing right now. Perhaps I am in the minority,but it bothers me that my children are listed on this webpage. I didn’t subscribe to this or post this information. I can understand my current city of residence being on there (public record), but all of the cities I have lived in for the past 30+ years?</p>
<p>–Only went through 3 pages on my name. Among those who share my name are a lesbian poet, military captain, real estate agent and bunco lover! I didn’t find myself, though.–</p>
<p>I just googled myself and found a REAL quote from me in a South African newspaper. (original article was in the Washington Post). It does seem weird.</p>
<p>We haven’t had privacy for generations since there’s actually quite a bit in public records such as births, deaths, home deeds, home assessment values, etc., etc. but the real difference is the ‘accessibility’ of the data. One no longer needs to go to some county records hall or old newspaper to search for data - it’s all being made available on the internet - much of it by companies trying to charge for an access fee.</p>
<p>Crazier than this is all of the even more personal data about themselves people place on the internet willingly (Facebook, Myspace, CC, etc.), sometimes under the misconception that the data is highly protected.</p>
<p>ucsd<em>ucla</em>dad, what has me so creeped out is not that public records information is out there, but the fact that they have my MIL and BIL listed as family. Where do they get this? My children’s names could be obtained from birth records. I see that. How do they know who my in-laws are? They can know my age and where I live from birth records and the county auditor’s office. But they have a list of where I have lived in the past?</p>
<p>I don’t know. It just makes me feel violated. I can’t imagine choosing to put things out there like our kids do on Facebook and MySpace.</p>
<p>I’ve seen this all on people search. And I do think it is all derived from public records, even the in-laws. If we look up H’s grandfather, both his wife that died before him and his wife that is still alive, although he is dead, are listed as ‘relatives’. They don’t necessarily seek out information as to who your in-laws are; they just know who your H’s parents are (from birth certificates), and who your H is (from marriage records), so they put two and two together.</p>
<p>OK, so I was tempted to google myself. Happily, my business website and other referral sites are finally the first hit for my name. Unhappily, about ten hits down is some site called “Peek you” or something that lists more than I want listed. Due to the nature of my work (psychotherapist), I try to keep my private information just that. It’s irritating.</p>
<p>Remember when you google yourself, try it several different ways, including last name first, include middle initial, don’t include middle initial, etc.</p>
<p>You’d be surprised how much stuff comes up when you search your name just a bit differently.</p>
<p>This is slightly off topic and not to do with confidential information, but I google my kids periodically. Both have a lot of hits. One has many pages of hits. A few times, including today (coincidentially given this thread), I find out stuff about my kid through google that I didn’t know (good stuff, mind you!). Today, I saw she has a singer/songwriter gig at a club in NYC that she must have forgotten to mention that is coming up soon. Another time, I found a review of a performance of hers in a well known online publication and she didn’t know she was mentioned in it. There have been several times I have found things through google. It is a little odd for me, like today, to find out something my kid is doing through Google before I find out from her!</p>