RAM Network

One of the earliest methods of searching on the world wide web involved the use of reverse phone search. Called reverse phone lookup or something similar, people were able to seek out a person’s name, address, or some other type of qualifying information simply by entering a phone number. It is called a reverse phone lookup because the traditional method involved searching in the reverse manner: using a person’s name to find their phone number. Initially, this was seen as a pretty good thing. However, over time many began to see this as an invasion of privacy and the accessibility of these types of searches began to be less and less available.

Almost immediately after people began having their information removed , companies began to offer these types of services to consumers for a fee. Perhaps the most popular of these original websites was FreeCellSearch. Seen on many talk shows like Maury Povich, it became the dominant site for those seeking out confidential information for people they were trying to seek out. Other companies like Intelius also provided this type of service, but perhaps not to the same scale. Services ranged from at little as $5 for an individual search to as much as over $100 for a yearly subscription to do as much searching for people as someone would want.

In my own personal experience, one of the drawbacks to this type of service is the fact that most of the information provided is essentially public information. As a result, some people may not have much in the way of updated contact. For example, I did a basic reverse phone lookup of myself and found a phone number I had not used in over five years. The reality was, I had not done much to make my information public, thus the only information that could be found of me online was from the most recent situation that I had information in the public domain. I say this because many people are upset when they use lesser versions of these services, only to find out that in essence, they are paying to be provided with a database of information they could have found themselves.

Conclusion

I will say this in conclusion: the ability to find information online has increased through other means. A big way for people to find information now is through social media such as Facebook and Linkedin. Websites like Spokeo have managed to compile that information that people make available without really knowing it and now, there is an interactive database with sensitive information online.

Your best bet is to make sure you monitor what you put on your profiles and ensure that your privacy options are maximized. I would say it is much better to have too little than too much information. In 15 years, internet searching has evolved from a rough browsing experience to something so nuanced and detailed, that it requires oversight to prevent information from being seen. The days of the basic phone and people search might be over, but the struggle to maintain your privacy online has only begun.