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MyLife.com is unnerving incarnate
13 years ago
Today, I decided to do a Google search of my own name (because, really, who doesn't). Now, normally my name turns up a few articles I either wrote in our school paper, or one particular story a local paper wrote with me in it, but this time the top result was from a particular MyLife.com
I've seen their ads, and not really thought much of it. I never had need to go there, and thought it was kind of dumb to subscribe to a website just so they could tell you people are looking for you. I assumed it was like every other social media site out there, I put in information, make a profile, etc.
I didn't expect what I found.
What was there was a profile already made about me, featuring name, age, address, phone number, etc. etc. Granted, I'm assuming about the phone number, but it did have (visible to me, a non member) an (incorrect) location from the last place I'd lived. Also, familial connections including full names of all my relatives.
Frankly, this is creeping me the hell out. What did I do? To which service did I unthinkingly subscribe that allowed personal information like this to fall into the hands of these aggrigators? What are their sources?
Maybe I'm just over thinking it. Maybe all this could be found in legitimate ways, public records, rental agreements. But I cannot help feeling a little violated over this. I did not give them consent to display this information. Suppose there was a stalker out there who wanted to find me (or anyone else, for that matter) This kind of site would make it extremely easy to do just that!
*shudder* Am I the only person who feels unsettled by this?
I've seen their ads, and not really thought much of it. I never had need to go there, and thought it was kind of dumb to subscribe to a website just so they could tell you people are looking for you. I assumed it was like every other social media site out there, I put in information, make a profile, etc.
I didn't expect what I found.
What was there was a profile already made about me, featuring name, age, address, phone number, etc. etc. Granted, I'm assuming about the phone number, but it did have (visible to me, a non member) an (incorrect) location from the last place I'd lived. Also, familial connections including full names of all my relatives.
Frankly, this is creeping me the hell out. What did I do? To which service did I unthinkingly subscribe that allowed personal information like this to fall into the hands of these aggrigators? What are their sources?
Maybe I'm just over thinking it. Maybe all this could be found in legitimate ways, public records, rental agreements. But I cannot help feeling a little violated over this. I did not give them consent to display this information. Suppose there was a stalker out there who wanted to find me (or anyone else, for that matter) This kind of site would make it extremely easy to do just that!
*shudder* Am I the only person who feels unsettled by this?
But who's gonna creep me? XD
That's still very unsettling
That is like some serious wikifur level creeping
so you mentioned that your relatives are all filled in?... I would think that this would be the possible starting place... maybe someone you know has an account and filled in the last info they had on you to complete their "circle" of social contacts.... it's creepy but it's legal for the company to do sadly.