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Spokeo is a social network aggregator web site that aggregates data from many online and offline sources (such as phone directories, social networks, photo albums, marketing surveys, mailing lists, government censuses, real estate listings, and business websites). This aggregated data may include demographic data, estimated property and wealth values, and estimated interests. . Although the availability of this information has invoked both surprise and debate, Spokeo does not guarantee the accuracy of its information, and in many cases, the information provided is "harmless".. Some sources cite Spokeo as a new, secondary research source allowing users to "locate people through social network site searches in an easy-to-use single interface"

All data collected by Spokeo is publicly accessible from its original sources. According to the site, Spokeo does not originate data and information available is only as good as its source. The information available originates from information people provide that becomes public information “even if a person isn't on Facebook or Twitter.” Some users reported problems with removing their listings, and some independent reports verified that the removal process was "spotty." Since then, Spokeo launched the 4th major revision of their website on March 1 2010 and resolved its programming glitches, announcing in mid-April that these bugs were resolved. The extent and types of information available through the redesigned site have led to controversy resulting in increased internet traffic.

History

Spokeo was founded in 2006 by a group of Stanford graduates. It was initially developed as a social network aggregator similar to FriendFeed that allowed users to keep track of their friends' status updates on multiple websites.

In 2008, Spokeo redesigned the website by changing the interface to allow for easier searching. Under the revision, users could import contacts from email address books and create "Friend Lists" that provide updates to recent profile changes for public profiles. Information reflected friends’ updated blogs, video playlists, and photo albums. As a techjaws.com article pointed out, this feature allows a user to start browsing immediately without any "tedious set up." Pandia Search Engine News wrote: "It was a real eye opener when I saw all the content that Spokeo came up with on my friends and contacts based on nothing but my Gmail address. Here are Flixter movie ratings, Pandora play lists and Last.fm favorites, Flickr and Picasa photos, twitter posts, Vox blog entries (along with uploaded videos, images etc), Digg and Stumbleupon reviews, LinkedIn information, MySpace posts, Slide.com uploads, Amazon.com wish list items and more."

Trivia

The name of the website was coined by Harrison Tang and his co-founders when they were students at Stanford in 2006. “Spokeo” is a made-up word that is a metaphor for a wheel’s ability to connect in a circular way. Spokes, or the rods radiating from the center, or hub, of a wheel, forms a circle. Similarly, the name is designed to reflect how people can become more interconnected by using the website.

Privacy and safety concerns

In Spring 2010, Spokeo released version 4 of its website. Shortly thereafter, CBS47.tv, which serves the Fresno, California, viewing area, aired a short piece on Spokeo, outlining local law enforcement agencies' concerns that the site would enable cyberstalking. They reported that credit information was being included in some online profiles and that Spokeo had recently removed a feature that provided photos of private residences. Search results on Spokeo offer to provide a "Credit Estimate" and "Wealth Level" information, as well as information about a target's mortgage value, estimated income, and investments. In an interview with Michigan-based WILX-TV Spokeo's founder, Harrison Tang, said that credit information is not actually available through Spokeo.

According to the California Office of Privacy Protection, the information provided by sites like Spokeo regarding an individual's name, address, and phone number, are considered public record. Furthermore, when a person purchases a home, the purchase, including the price is recorded with the county recorder and is considered public information. There is no specific statute that prohibits businesses from putting such public record information on the Internet, nor any statute that requires a business to remove it upon request.

On Facebook in particular, several users complained on the "Spokeo" message board that the website was a violation of their privacy, and new groups were started to demand an end to the service. Several of these users claimed that information set to private on facebook and other social networking accounts was still appearing on Spokeo's website. However, Spokeo cannot hack into private accounts. In other words, if a user can find friends on a social network, they can also find them on Spokeo. Spokeo's technology recognizes third party privacy settings and updates the database accordingly. Whenever content is changed from public to private, Spokeo will automatically detect and reflect this privacy change the next time it re-crawls content. Twitter users have also been urged to remove their information from Spokeo.

Removal of personal information

The Spokeo website contains an opt-out form (accessible from the "Privacy" link on the bottom of every page) that allows users to prevent specific Spokeo pages from displaying search results for their names, phone numbers, or email addresses. The removal of email address search results was implemented by Spokeo on April 19, 2010, and the removal process is the same as that for name and phone listings, although some Gmail users initially complained that the system malfunctioned when they entered their addresses. While it is possible to block your listings from being displayed on Spokeo, they will not be removed from the original sources. Other users have found it easy to deactivate results pages for their names. Since mid-April, Spokeo has fixed most of the bugs, making opt-out a one-step process. (Note: AOL users may not receive a confirmation email from Spokeo to complete this process. If this happens, try an alternate email address such as Hotmail.) Although Spokeo prevents users from removing listings belonging to aliases, friends, or family members, in bulk to prevent spambots, the site allows for users to email URL requests to their customer service email.

Premium Subscription

Spokeo offers paid subscriptions that bundles extra features into one package. Premium features include phone and email search, and an import feature users can utilize for email addressbook and social network contacts. Prices range from $15 for a three-month subscription to $34.50 for a year-long subscription. All searches include monthly quotas. Cite error: A <ref> tag is missing the closing </ref> (see the help page).

References

1. "Clearing the Air". May 12, 2010.
2. "Site Collects Personal Information Online". Retrieved 7 May 2010.
3. "New Resources and Tools for Research". Retrieved May 13, 2010.
4. "Keep Your Info Private Online". Kansas City News Story. April 29, 2010. Retrieved 30 April 2010.
5. "Spokeo About". Spokeo. February 20, 2010. Retrieved 4 April 2010.
6. "Spokeo.com - Scam or Search Engine". {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |access date= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
7. "Catching Up". Retrieved 30 April 2010.
8. "Spokeo - the 60th Most Popular Search on Google". Retrieved April 14, 2010.
9. "Search for Friends". Spokeo. February 5 2008. Retrieved April 20 2010. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= and |date= (help)
10. "Get The Scoop On People With Spokeo". TechJaws.com. August 15 2009. Retrieved April 20 2010. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= and |date= (help)
11. "Spokeo, the Big Brother of social networking". Pandia Search Engine News. 25 February 2008. Retrieved 3 July 2009.
12. "Some personal info will always be on Web". East Valley Tribune. June 13, 2009. Retrieved 3 July 2009.
13. "CBS47.tv - New Website Sparks Privacy Concerns". April, 2010. Retrieved 11 April 2010. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
14. "WILX.com - What Does Spokeo Say About You?". April 7, 2010. Retrieved 7 April 2010.
15. "GOVERNMENT CODE SECTION 6250-6270". Retrieved April 15, 2010.
16. "No more Spokeo". Retrieved April 15, 2010.
17. "Get Rid of Spokeo!". Retrieved April 14, 2010.
18. "People Against Spokeo". Retrieved April 14, 2010.
19. "Spokeo - Twitter Search". Retrieved April 15, 2010.
20. "Spokeo - Remove a Listing". Retrieved April 5, 2010.
21. "Removing Personal Information from Spokeo.com is easier than you think". Retrieved April 14, 2010.

External links

• Spokeo.com

• Internet properties established in 2006