A website pieces together personal information, and gives users easy access to it.
U.S. (WiredPRNews.com) – A website that allows users to search for personal information about other people has left some in a state of shock. As reported by CBS 11 News, the easy access to information provided by spokeo.com has some concerned about what others may use the information for. The site provides names, addresses, and other personal information about individuals when specific names are typed in a search box.
Darlene Ryan of Maryland is quoted in the report as stating of the site, “I think it’s a complete invasion of privacy, personally… My personal opinion is websites like this shouldn’t be allowed unless you give permission for this information to be published.”
Brian Holland, an Internet law expert at Texas Wesleyan Law School, is further quoted as stating of the information, “It’s not anything that wasn’t there before. It is simply public information… For the first time consumers are being faced with the fact that all these different people have been collecting data on them for years. I think that’s the first thing that shocks people is that this data is out there and readily available.”
As noted in the report, requests can be made to remove information from the website.
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