New Free Database Has _Everyone_ Listed

Some email I got from a family member this past week:

Beginning this month (May '05) a new database will be available to the general public, free of charge, that displays your personal information (names, addresses, phone numbers, birth dates).

The database is found at

I urge you to forward this email to family and friends. Check to see if your name and information is in their database. If so and you want it removed, send them an e-mail at snipped-for-privacy@zabasearch.com to request it be removed. I do not know how our names are appearing there, but I checked my own and a few other random ones, and they are all in this database!

After opting out by email, check back after a few days to make certain your information has been removed.

Displaying such information should be a crime.

(End of letter)

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Well, I dunno how much of a crime it should be, except that a random check of my own information and a few test, controlled cases show that although it is _generally accurate_ there are some mistakes and omissions, about like any such database. Anyway, its all there at

It appears they have put a lot of 'hooks' into the cgi-bin things of _other_ databases so you do not have to keep re-entering the names/addresses to look in different areas of interest. For instance, you put in your name, some information is provided, then links are given to take you off to various other data bases, directly to information about the name you (originally) entered.

Such as, enter a name, it comes up with an address, then by clicking on the link you can get the map of the location, the aerial or satellite photo of same, and lots more. One link goes off to Yahoo Photos, another to newspaper clippings, etc. Like William Burroughs in his book _Naked Lunch_ now we all get to see precisely what is on the end of the other guys' forks. So far as I can tell, they do not have _naked photos_ of any of us yet on display, but I have not checked it all out. You begin your review by going to

filling in a little template. Then the computer takes over.

Patrick Townson