Unsecure chicken perches

[donald]

Hi

 

Today was just searching my OH details and we were suprised at how much information ie occupation, phone number (landline) area we live in etc by googling.

 

We are ex directory, not on electoral role for all to see.Dont do Facebook for same privacy reasons. I just googled myself and it came up on Yasni and I have just emailed them to ask for my removal.It seems that when I have sponsored people on line ie for marathons etc with "Just giving" my information is linked to their website etc.

 

Am guessing my information is being sold.

 

So no privacy at all. How do you get yourself removed from internet or how did we end up on there? We both have jobs where we dont want the people we have encountered finding us. Am really shocked. I cant be alone.

 

Any ideas?

[Eggasperated]

Yes, I am really shocked as well. We are also ex-directory and on the limited electoral roll but it seems these days it is very difficult to keep information private which, with the data protection act, is very annoying.

I agree your information must have been sold I would have thought these organisations should have provided a box to tick allowing you to keep your details private, I would contact them with your concerns and state it will affect your willingness to sponsor people in future.

[donald]

Yes I agree and where I can I always tick the box for no more offers or sharing information. I have emailed Yasni to ask for my removal and will see if it is removed.

 

I think companies should really put it in capital letters if they are selling your information.

 

Worth googling your self to see if you come up as we thought we were very careful with our information but obviously not

[Goosey Lucy]

Thanks for posting this, I've just googled myself and can't find me very easily. Phew.

 

However I have found my details on the edited electoral role for a country I no longer live in so will arrange to remove myself asap.

 

Thanks again Donald,

 

Lucy x

[HarrisonFamily]

I am very scared....I searched for me and some detail came up on twitter...

 

My name the fact I am married and have 2 children with their ages a whole list of interests...it was exactly how i would describe myself....I have never been on twitter...

 

so I clicked on the link and the photo was definatley not me and she lived in the north and I live in the south east...

 

Scary

[Goosey Lucy]

indeed!

 

A twin? Clone? Sorry, OH and i are working our way through the boxset of the X-Files at the moment...

[Sheilaz]

This subject shocked me a few weeks ago when someone alerted me.

In my case I gave confidential, data protected information to companies house many years ago. Now that information is elsewhere and comes up in a search of my full name.

I've decided to just accept that I can't swim against the tide, but found it very scary when it was pointed out to me, I had no idea, and like you was shocked.

[Yorkshire Pudding]

I tried this and we came up at two separate addresses, neither our current one, both old ones (in one case over twelve years ago)

 

Although I have a very unusual surname, there seem to be at least two other people with my first and last names, both registered through companies they run... spooky to see your own name coming up like that, even though it isnt really me.

 

My name does come up once genuinely, for a book review I published a few years ago. OH works in a field where he publishes regularly in scientific journals so he comes up loads of times if I google him - but only professional details, not home details.

[Ain't Nobody Here]

I've just Googled myself too and was quite shocked to find that I'm listed as the secretary of a company that was part of a (small) PLC I used to work for in the 80's . I'm sure no-one told me I was being named as secretary . The company is dissolved now so it doesn't really matter but it was still a surprise .

[Redwing]

I think I must be quite lucky as someone that shares my name is a zookeeper and she is sooooo much more interesting than me and so takes up a lot of the first page search results

[scubababe]

lol....I googled the women my hubby had a fling with...now that was a SHOCK!! Lets just say that his standards slipped

[Seagazer]

I've just googled myself and its really odd to find somebody with 'your' name. My surname is not that common but there is someone out there with the same name and the same spelling of Ann (most people have an e on the end). Ooh.

[chickencam]

I have a faily uncommon maiden name and there were quite a few with that name. I did find my OH referencing back to his firms website and both of us an our ED on a website that lists information from the electoral role.

[Eggasperated]

lol....I googled the women my hubby had a fling with...now that was a SHOCK!! Lets just say that his standards slipped

 

The lack of privacy thing obviously has its upside too then .

[Alis girls]

I googled self (greek surname thanks to OH) and at our address we live with the people we bought house off (our kids arent mentioned) serious overcrowding -4 adults 2 kids and 2 cats I also come up as working at my present Gp job and the last which I left 11 yrs ago, so serious updating needs doing.

[Ms Marple]

I think I must be quite lucky as someone that shares my name is a zookeeper and she is sooooo much more interesting than me and so takes up a lot of the first page search results

You must be nearly a zookeeper surely!!

[Chook n Boo Mum]

It would appear we live with neighbours who left 2 doors along about 12 years ago ....maybe I should check the sheds for extra occupants ......the idea these two are even in the same town is almost laughable, given they divorced probably 10 years ago

 

Expected to find professional info linked to our business, but not home info through directory enquiries, as we also are ex- directory

[fowlbird]

this reminded me to google myself - not done it for years - instead of all the interesting stuff I do, it's all my linked in profile and my old address and references to my ex

[bluekarin]

I Googled myself at the end of last year, and was amazed at how much came up about me. A virtual paper trail on various sites almost added up to a whole profile of me and my family. I immediately went to all the sites, deleted info and deleted accounts of places I no longer use. I have quite an unusual name, especially the spelling, so there aren't too many of me about. My hubby has a name doppelganger - a dance DJ If you knew him, you'd know dance is not his thing

[donald]

I did get an email back from Yasni? and they basically said I need to take it up with the sites I have used which they list on their website.

 

Its all a conspiracy! I have an unusual name too but definitely dont want to be found! I just applied to M&S for a card and ticked dont pass me on etc etc!! Its always a tiny 3mm wide box in the small print! They should do big letters!

[bluekarin]

I just applied to M&S for a card and ticked dont pass me on etc etc!! Its always a tiny 3mm wide box in the small print! They should do big letters!

 

Sometimes you have to tick the box to opt out and sometimes you have to not tick the box to opt out. I've been caught out by those

[rachel19]

Mmmm they quite often have a combination of boxes to tick or untick so you have to read each one carefully - they are deliberately trying to trick you and i dont think it should be allowed. Have opt in/out boxes if they must but make them clear and also make them tick all to opt out not switch between.

[LuckyChickenLover-]

All that comes up for me is the website for my old Scout troop and my school's website.

 

I'm a bit miffed that the school put my name on the site, but if it's the only information up there then I suppose I can live with that.

[Charlottechicken]

I am blessed with an extremely common surname and have just googled myself, to find over 110,000,000 entries Suffice to say I didn't check them all but the first few pages do not relate to me, thank goodness! I have found an artist, a pianist/singer, someone who does wedding make-up, a lawyer, an engineer, and a US TV chef with the same name and spelling though

[majorbloodnock]

All that comes up for me is the website for my old Scout troop and my school's website.

 

I'm a bit miffed that the school put my name on the site, but if it's the only information up there then I suppose I can live with that.

Why should you, though?

 

Under the Data Protection Act, the school has an obligation to protect any personal information they hold. Personal information in this sense (more specifically termed "personally identifiable information") is any personal data that could reasonably be linked to a specific individual. Therefore, just a first name would not come under the remit but a first name and last name is getting a little more specific and a combination of first name, last name and a link to an organisation (particularly a small one) probably would be seen as personally identifiable. If the school has effectively advertised that they have a particular parent called Mrs Jane Doe, they ought to have Jane's permission for that to be publicly known or they're breaking the law.

 

Incidentally, I can half remember some legislation change that came in a few years ago to the effect that UK company web sites, when offering an opt in/out are obliged to make the opting out the default choice and make opting in an active choice. Since it's only a vague memory, I can't give further details, but I'm sure many web sites will be breaking the law and will continue to do so until they are found out.