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akujunkan..."People have been searching for you on Spokeo." As is my standard practice with all such annoying spamnation (WAYN, Friendster, etc.), I promptly reported the email as spam without opening it. But I had vague memories of ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
metal_dog5 informing me about a particularly virulent gmail phishing scam a few days ago. (metal_dog5, was this the one you informed me about?) At any rate, a quick google search turned up some pretty scary stuff.
First came this blog post, which points out the general creepiness of what Spokeo wants you to do and why it's a really bad idea.
And here's a sinister tidbit from a glowingly positive review on Techcrunch:
Pandia makes another important point: that Spokeo's one-size-fits-all gonzo download of all your contacts can and does not make the distinction between your friends and anyone else with whom you might happen to have corresponded at some point in time (think classmates, an ex-boyfriend, the guy on amazon marketplace, your boss). If you like the idea of being able to watch what your boss or ex are doing online without their being aware of it, remember, Spokeo makes it just as easy for them to do the same to you. And here's the icing on the cake: Spokeo lets every single one of those people know that you are using its services: ||Clicky||. Which is probably how the service got my email--my personal email address, not the blow-off webmail I use for mailing lists and the like--in the first place.
I leave you with one final worrisome thought: somebody's obviously done me the dubious favor of sharing my email address with the site, however unwittingly. Does this mean they're compiling information on me, even though I have in no way articulated that I am okay with them doing so or opted to make use of their "service" myself?
So guys, don't sign up for this. The less users and more bad press these creeps get, the better.
That will be all.
metal_dog5 informing me about a particularly virulent gmail phishing scam a few days ago. (metal_dog5, was this the one you informed me about?) At any rate, a quick google search turned up some pretty scary stuff.First came this blog post, which points out the general creepiness of what Spokeo wants you to do and why it's a really bad idea.
And here's a sinister tidbit from a glowingly positive review on Techcrunch:
It is pretty surprising to find out what people (who you think you know) are listening to on Pandora or Twittering about. It feels a lot like spying on your friends. The best part is that they don’t ever have to know you are keeping track of them.Yeah, because nothing says "friendship" like getting your giggles by surreptitiously observing someone you claim to care about and respect.
Pandia makes another important point: that Spokeo's one-size-fits-all gonzo download of all your contacts can and does not make the distinction between your friends and anyone else with whom you might happen to have corresponded at some point in time (think classmates, an ex-boyfriend, the guy on amazon marketplace, your boss). If you like the idea of being able to watch what your boss or ex are doing online without their being aware of it, remember, Spokeo makes it just as easy for them to do the same to you. And here's the icing on the cake: Spokeo lets every single one of those people know that you are using its services: ||Clicky||. Which is probably how the service got my email--my personal email address, not the blow-off webmail I use for mailing lists and the like--in the first place.
I leave you with one final worrisome thought: somebody's obviously done me the dubious favor of sharing my email address with the site, however unwittingly. Does this mean they're compiling information on me, even though I have in no way articulated that I am okay with them doing so or opted to make use of their "service" myself?
So guys, don't sign up for this. The less users and more bad press these creeps get, the better.
That will be all.