Privacy

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https://pipl.com

This site pulls not only search results but images and other media as well listing my age and locations. It absolutely does not adhere to Baase's outline releasing and republishing personal information from all over the web. the third image, from bebo I believe, says it all. Very thorough in both amount and sources. Because it return so much it is not very current and misleading. Unfortunately I am my business so I have to market myself as my business. I've come to accept having my information publicly available but it should only be through MY websites, these people have no right to take so much information out of context and with no regard for its originally intended purpose. Unfortunately this experience has shown me that visiting these sites is like cutting out a figure from on painting and pasting it onto another until a monstrous collage has formed with no overall guidance. I am an open person by nature but I'll be more wary about what I share and where. It's a double edged sword for me as the less I share the less business I get but the more I stand to lose if I share too much.

http://addresssearch.com
Also disturbing. Along with previous statements here are e-mail addresses that I have not disclosed for over 15 years, on display, for anyone to access without my permission. While being very specific this information is ripe for abuse and against any decent privacy policy.

http://www.kgbpeople.com/

This search engine is so thorough that it found blogs I had completely forgotten about! It even has links to my wishlists on other sites! The data is inaccurate in place which somehow infuriates me even more. So not only is it against any decent privacy policy but its actually perpetrating misinformation about me.

While I am a proponent of free information this has made its many pitfalls personal and disturbing. However my biggest fear is that once you start censoring it becomes easier and easier to censor more and more. It is a slippery slope and the next thing you know only government approved information can be posted publicly and the flow of information turns into a trickle of propaganda. I believe people should have the right to control information about themselves but with the instant spread of information this only seems possible at the source, we must take responsibility for what we make available. I would prefer everyone to know everything about me so that I can use the web to learn everything about anything, than have it all taken away. It's a miraculous resource, unique in human history, but like any great thing it comes with a heavy price tag, which I accept gratefully.
-Peter Ochabski