What do you think about ZabaSearch's new blog?

I think that is a perfect place to defame anyone who just doesn't look at you right. I have had hostility directed at me that was so strong that they murdered five of my cats not at once just one at a time. They then started to stalk and terrorize my youngest son at his grade school. He then proceeded to pass out a flyer to my neighbors telling them that I was a pediophile. I have no criminal record but now my neighbors despise me. I am not safe to leave my house and go out in the front yard. All because he thought an easement ment it was his property. It was a drainage easement. He landscaped and blocked it so my back yard fills up with water. He's gone now, but the damage he caused still remains. The police made the suggestion to him that he move. His legacy still remains.

You should never have to opt out of a service. People should stop assuming that you want everything known about you to be available to others. If I want that to happen then I should have to deliberately (opt in) make it happen!

I paid for unlisted and unpublished on my phone bill. Would I want them to list my infos in the ZabaSearch, no way!

Not only can a person be found against his or her will through ZabaSearch but also it opens the door for malicious posters who may for good reasons or none decide to trash a person's reputation on the Net.

For small business owners a disgruntled customer could indeed make slanderous comments about the business or service, which could play havoc with the company's reputation.

I believe strongly that ZabaSearch should only permit information to be posted that is in no way slanderous and that it should protect its users' anonymity with passwords and screen names -- unless the person authorizes his or her identity to be made public.

it's disgusting. havent people got anything better to do. i've never responded to this forum before ... that's how strongly i feel about it.

I haven't a clue what this is about. ZabaSearch? Did I miss something?

It has given many an outlet to scroll an old girlfriend's number on the rest-room wall, so to speak. And all of those who think it is a lawsuit magnet are probably right. As soon as someone is wronged because of info scribbled on their name-page, or blog, it will be time for a lawyer to cash in--Big-Time!

I predict this effort will fail and be withdrawn on short notice.

The ethical problems faced with this intrusion (that is really the word) are not new. We have seen them before in many ways.

In Communist countries mail would be opened in transit and often they would not even bother seal the envelope shut again. Such things still exist in certain countries.

We condemned all these but in the absence of a "Data Protection Act" in the United States, plus the vagueness of the First Amendment, the privacy issue is gradually becoming more similar to above situations, especially as laws still need to be worked out for the web. Recently, the situation became worse with the "Patriot" act amendments that allow the government to snoop on citizens. Of course, the presumption that the morals of governments or companies can be trusted is something rather questionable. History shows the opposite: Hitler was a well-loved patriot showing promise during the flag-waving days of pre-war Germany. Enron was a company that was considered serious and reputable in this country.

Companies will try to exploit all the loopholes they can find and the immediate access of huge amounts of information online is at their disposal.

Forget Zebasearch.com. Try a google search on one of your friends. Chances are that eventually you will find some information on them, some hidden picture, some personal CV, some long-forgotten personal web space or a blog these days (a great way to find out all the details about someone's life); especially if their name is particularly unique. Weirdos need only go to community.webshots.com to find private web pages and information and pictures on thousands of people in their private lives.

In other words, the internet is already against us in this respect. The main problem IMHO is related to specific policies that are required for search engines. Soon, google may know more about you than you know about yourself! And even if zebasearch.com disappears ten others will take its place. Unless laws are made that govern these issues in detail this Lernea Hydra will always sprout knew heads; and we're not Hercules.

Pi

Who the hell are these people that know about me, but I don't know them?
Too scary ! strangers(?) with information that you didn't give them,posting it on the WWW.
Information that individuals try to protect.

I sent an e-mail and told them to take my name off of their site and that I never gave them permission to post it..they wrote back and said I have to send them a letter by snail mail saying blah blah to get my name off of the list. I didn't have to write them a letter to get my name on the list.It's like somebody stealing from me, and I don't like it.

Rightclick

I contacted ZabaSearch at info@zabasearch.com to remove my info. This is directly from their reply email:

From: response@zabasearch.com
Subject: Your ZabaSearch.com Inquiry

We received your request. The following is the fastest way to create, edit or block your records from appearing in ZabaSearch. ZabaTools allow you to take control of the information available about you or to manage how you allow others to communicate with you. You can create, edit, block your record or add a ZabaLink all for free.
Why create a record? If you don't exist in ZabaSearch and would like to be included.
Why edit a record? If you are in ZabaSearch, but would like to update your information. Or, add your e-mail address or your web site URL to your record.
Why block a record ?** If you want to block your address and/or telephone number.
Add a free ZabaLink! Instead of blocking a record, consider replacing your address and/or telephone number with a ZabaLink*.
**If someone finds and clicks your ZabaLink (placed where your address or telephone number was), they will come to an e-mail form that will allow them to send a message to you without knowing your e-mail address, where you are, or if you ever even received the message. You can respond, ignore, or send back a non-delivery notice. ZabaLinks empower you to control how people can communicate with you on the Internet. You can be found, only if you want to be, on a person by person basis. And, ZabaLinks are free!
In order to create, edit, or block your record and/or to add a ZabaLink, all for free, you must make that request in writing and mail it to: ZabaTools, P.O. Box 45210 Omaha, NE 68145. Receiving requests by mail allows us to verify and process your requests quickly. Records created, edited and ZabaLinks added may take up to several weeks to appear in ZabaSearch. Records requested to be blocked are typically processed the next business day after receiving the request. You will be notified by e-mail when you request enters our system and then once more when the requested records have been adjusted. Please specify if you want to create, edit, delete a record and/or add a free ZabaLink, e-mail address or URL to your record. If you add a free ZabaLink, please include the e-mail address where you would like messages blindly forwarded to from your ZabaLink.

In order to fill your request your letter must contain the following information to insure we create, edit or delete the correct records. After you confirm by e-mail that we processed your request, your letter and the information you provided in it will be shredded. You will have created a record for yourself just as you like it and will be eventually given online tools to adjust your information as you like live in ZabaSearch 24/7.

1. E-mail address
2. Full name including middle initial
3. Address of the record you wish to create, edit or delete
4. Phone number you wish to have removed
5. Year of birth.
6. Specify if you are requesting to create, edit or delete a record or if you want to add a ZabaLink
or URL to your record.
7. Sign and date your request

I hope this helps any and all who care,
Greased Silver

It's kinda fun in a weird way. But I feel like I'm invading other people's privacy. Less important, I'm not so sure I want everyone to have easy access to me. I want them to work at it a little.

I think it is funny! Funny that we would use it, read it or give it credibility. Give me a break, sure it could probably hit home, but invasion of privacy? Doubtful. If it becomes slanderous then it falls under the protection of libel laws. If someone knows something about you, then it is hardly private. Now let's consider the source. Who actually looks here for juicy gossip about anyone? Who is going to write anything about you? If you wronged someone or are having a secret life, well, believe me you still are not living in a vacuum. Unless, of course, you are walking around as a masked avenger. Privacy is totally subjective, and I guess I am too old to care what anyone writes and doubt anyone can print anything that could hurt me or make me do anything but laugh.

I responded to the poll about this subject and read (with relief) that others also find this an invasion of privacy.

The more I thought about it though, the more I wondered what we are becoming as a nation. Everywhere I look, I see that people now matter a lot less, and business (MONEY?!?!) matters so much more. Issues about people are buried under mountains of Return On Investment (ROI).

Most questions of ethics are now evaluated by the so-called bottom line instead of the effect on people and their lives.

Yes, ZabaSearch IS an invasion of privacy. But no one cares on a large business scale. I found myself wondering if the lives of ZabaSearch executives had to become adversely affected by unwanted attention for them to start to give a damn. Why hadn't the human toll of their actions crossed their minds and influenced the structure of the services they offer?

One important point to keep in mind is that the statistics of who gets harrassed and bothered by lack or invasion of privacy doesn't just represent a number. Every digit of that number is a human life that may suffer additional problems because of the invasion of privacy. Does anyone out there have such a perfectly ideal life completely devoid of tension and stress of any kind that you can spare some gutwrenching angst for this new area (whatever it may turn out to be)? Personally, I have enough on my plate.

By recently marrying into a foreign family and moving to Europe, I acquired 3 grown sons with their children & spouses, and am struggling to offer emotional and financial support to my own daughter in her divorce attempt of battling a husband from yet another foreign land who is stalking her and trying to steal my 2 grandchildren. A lot to begin with as a newlywed, eh?

PHEW!

The point is that the personal scenario above is full of spaces where having information about me or my loved ones will make for very dangerous jeopardy to many people; some of whom are very young children. The potential fallout from that jeopardy could change several lives forever. And we ARE PEOPLE, not just entries on a website.

LIVES get changed by intrusion. ALL intrusion. Sometimes that change is good, many times it is devastating. Very much of the facts about ANY life are simply no one elses business. The power to discern who receives personal information about your life should NEVER be in anyone's hands except your own.

For some reason, America is in the middle of a whole long string of public, private, and government examples of abusing the very rights that made our country an example of strong personal freedoms and protection of privacy. Those two things are NOT mutually exclusive. Nor should they become so.

I am absolutely appalled that a company of this kind could even be legal. Things are changing rapidly for the worst where our personal rights as citizens are concerned. No matter what steps you think should be taken about one company of debatable ethics, the main, most widely effective remedies we need to emplement need to be started in the voting booth.

I don't think these people have any right to publish any information about me without my consent. I especially am against anyone being able to post comments about me! This has gone to damn far!!! I see it eventually being taken to court after causing some sort of trauma by a pervert or stalker. I, personally, do not have a phone number listed in my name----haven't had a listing for over 35 years, yet, this site posts my wife's phone number as mine. This is WRONG!!!

as google is to information/web sites

If you are denied employment or are rejected for anything in life due to someone's posting false information then you are being denied the pursuit of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness that is specified in the Constitution. Additionally, if you are denied your rightful pursuit of opportunity by truthful information whose dissemination is medical in nature or otherwise protected by law you are being illegally denied Constitutional Rights. I think that HIPPA which protects confidentiality of medical information and government protections for National Security are just the tip of the iceburg of legislation that is needed to stop ruthless people from exploiting others in databases. If it protects society then it should be made available. If it just provides a tool to put another person down it should not be made available.