TELECOM Digest OnLine - Sorted: New Free Database Has _Everyone_ Listed

New Free Database Has _Everyone_ Listed

Patrick Townson (ptownson@telecom-digest.org)
Sat, 18 Jun 2005 12:43:46 -0500

Some email I got from a family member this past week:

Beginning this month (May '05) a new database will be available to the
general public, free of charge, that displays your personal
information (names, addresses, phone numbers, birth dates).

The database is found at http://www.zabasearch.com. I urge you to forward
this email to family and friends. Check to see if your name and
information is in their database. If so and you want it removed, send
them an e-mail at info@zabasearch.com to request it be removed. I do
not know how our names are appearing there, but I checked my own and a
few other random ones, and they are all in this database!

After opting out by email, check back after a few days to make certain
your information has been removed.

Displaying such information should be a crime.

(End of letter)

=============================================

Well, I dunno how much of a crime it should be, except that a random
check of my own information and a few test, controlled cases show that
although it is _generally accurate_ there are some mistakes and
omissions, about like any such database. Anyway, its all there at
http://www.zabasearch.com. It appears they have put a lot of 'hooks'
into the cgi-bin things of _other_ databases so you do not have to
keep re-entering the names/addresses to look in different areas of
interest. For instance, you put in your name, some information is
provided, then links are given to take you off to various other data
bases, directly to information about the name you (originally)
entered.

Such as, enter a name, it comes up with an address, then by clicking
on the link you can get the map of the location, the aerial or
satellite photo of same, and lots more. One link goes off to Yahoo
Photos, another to newspaper clippings, etc. Like William Burroughs in
his book _Naked Lunch_ now we all get to see precisely what is on the
end of the other guys' forks. So far as I can tell, they do not have
_naked photos_ of any of us yet on display, but I have not checked it
all out. You begin your review by going to http://www.zabasearch.com
and filling in a little template. Then the computer takes over.

Patrick Townson

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