| Revision as of 18:40, 7 May 2009 editSambot (talk | contribs)55,853 edits BOT: removing {{puic}} from non-deleted image← Previous edit | Revision as of 21:00, 11 May 2009 edit undo66.80.0.7 (talk) Edited by Ray Chen, Spokeo Co-Founder. Rectified outstanding inaccuracies, and added background to complaints section. Tried reaching out to Akadruid for dispute resolution.Next edit → | ||
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| '''Spokeo''' is a ] ]. Unlike other people search engines that search for one person at a time, Spokeo imports an user's ] address book |
'''Spokeo''' is a ] ]. Unlike other people search engines that search for one person at a time, Spokeo imports an user's ] entire address book and makes all contacts' online footprints instantly available.<ref>, April 8, 2009</ref> <ref></ref> Spokeo retrieves content ranging from MySpace profiles to Pandora playlists to LinkedIn job descriptions. Spokeo believes that user-generated content on social networks is a more valuable source of personal background information that traditional public records. | ||
| ⚫ | <ref></ref> | ||
| ⚫ | <ref></ref> | ||
| <ref></ref> | |||
| <ref></ref> and makes all contacts' online footprints instantly available.<ref>, April 8, 2009</ref>. | |||
| Spokeo also promotes an HR version of its product for $15 per month. This service is targeted at recruiters wishing to do ]es. The responsibility of informing the employee about the background check is left with the recruiter.<ref></ref> | |||
| Spokeo attempted to build a good online reputation by courting a number of tech websites, and only later started spamming and trying to sell personal data. They continue to promote the initial positive reviews to imply that they apply to their current practices. | |||
| ==Technology== | ==Technology== | ||
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| Spokeo 2.0 launched on TechCrunch a year later, in December 2007.<ref>, December 10, 2007</ref> Initially, Spokeo 2.0 introduced its people search technology to help users automatically aggregate their social network accounts. However, users increasingly discussed its people search capabilities more than its aggregator roots.<ref>, December 21, 2007</ref> Spokeo rebranded itself as a people search engine later that year. | Spokeo 2.0 launched on TechCrunch a year later, in December 2007.<ref>, December 10, 2007</ref> Initially, Spokeo 2.0 introduced its people search technology to help users automatically aggregate their social network accounts. However, users increasingly discussed its people search capabilities more than its aggregator roots.<ref>, December 21, 2007</ref> Spokeo rebranded itself as a people search engine later that year. | ||
| Up until March, 2008, Spokeo encouraged users to introduce their friends to the social search service, much like many social networks still do. Spokeo stopped this practice after receiving several complaints. | |||
| ⚫ | <ref></ref> | ||
| ⚫ | <ref></ref> | ||
| <ref></ref> | |||
| ==Content privacy== | ==Content privacy== | ||
Revision as of 21:00, 11 May 2009
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| File:Spokeo logo.png | |
| Type of business | Private |
|---|---|
| Type of site | people search engine |
| Available in | English |
| Founded | Saratoga, California (2006) |
| Headquarters | Mountain View, California |
| Key people | Harrison Tang |
| Industry | Computer Software |
| Products | Spokeo People Search |
| URL | Spokeo People Search |
| Registration | Required |
| Launched | 11/5/2006 |
| Current status | active |
Spokeo is a social-network-based people search engine. Unlike other people search engines that search for one person at a time, Spokeo imports an user's webmail entire address book and makes all contacts' online footprints instantly available. Spokeo retrieves content ranging from MySpace profiles to Pandora playlists to LinkedIn job descriptions. Spokeo believes that user-generated content on social networks is a more valuable source of personal background information that traditional public records.
Spokeo also promotes an HR version of its product for $15 per month. This service is targeted at recruiters wishing to do background searches. The responsibility of informing the employee about the background check is left with the recruiter.
Technology
Spokeo's main technology is a social-network-based deep Web search engine that can locate social data that is not indexed by standard search engines, such as Google.. Spokeo finds people's social network accounts by performing deep Web searches across over 40 such networks, including but not limited to Bebo, Blogger, DailyMotion, DeviantArt, Digg, Facebook, Flickr, Fotolog, Friendster, HI5, ImageStation, Imeem, Last.fm, LiveJournal, MySpace, Netlog, Photobucket, Vox, Webshots, Windows Live Spaces, Wretch, Xanga, Yahoo Video, and YouTube.. Spokeo is strictly a search engine, not a social network. Although Spokeo syndicates only publicly available information, many people may not realize that the information it aggregates is public.
Spokeo is implemented in Ruby on Rails. Launched in 2006, it is one of the early Ruby on Rails showcases.
History
Spokeo was founded in 2006 by four Stanford students. Spokeo 1.0 pioneered and introduced the concept of social network aggregation to the world on CNet, GigaOm, and TechCrunch on November 2006. The concept quickly caught on among early adopters. The most popular social network aggregator today is FriendFeed.
Spokeo 2.0 launched on TechCrunch a year later, in December 2007. Initially, Spokeo 2.0 introduced its people search technology to help users automatically aggregate their social network accounts. However, users increasingly discussed its people search capabilities more than its aggregator roots. Spokeo rebranded itself as a people search engine later that year.
Up until March, 2008, Spokeo encouraged users to introduce their friends to the social search service, much like many social networks still do. Spokeo stopped this practice after receiving several complaints.
Content privacy
Spokeo aggregates only publicly available information; however, the information that it aggregates is often obscure and hard to find on the Web. To better educate users about its online privacy, Spokeo has developed an automatic "content privacy mirroring" technology. When someone find that their content is public via Spokeo and then make it private, Spokeo automatically detects and reflects these privacy changes in a couple of days. However, many are still worried about the online content that is exposed by social search technologies.
See also
References
- Spokeo People Search - Traffic Details from Alexa, April 8, 2009.
- Spokeo People Search - The Mega Search of Social Networks, April 8, 2009
- Spokeo will aggregate your friends & spy on you
- Spokeo HR - explore beyond the resume
- Spokeo People Search Engines: They Know Your Dark Secrets ... And Tell Anyone, March 10, 2009
- Friends Under The Microscope, January 28, 2008
- New site feeds off of other Web sites, January 31, 2008
- Growing Number of Supported Networks by Spokeo People Search, April 8, 2009
- The RSS Blog on Spokeo People Search, November 30, 2006
- New Sites Make It Easier To Spy on Your Friends, May 13, 2008
- Spokeo People Search: Meta Social Networking, December 8, 2006
- Your Next Social Network: All of Them?, December 5, 2006
- The Content Aggregators and the Fat Belly, November 28, 2006
- Spokeo People Search Aggregates Social Networks And Blogs, November 29, 2006
- Spokeo People Search 2.0: A Feed Reader For Your Friends, December 10, 2007
- Reality Check: Spokeo People Search, December 21, 2007
- Spokeo - leaders in Spam
- spokeo spam
- Spokeo: One Step Over the Line
- Spokeo People Search Privacy Explained, March 1, 2009
- Social media search: A stalker's paradise?, January 26, 2009