Mashable - The Social Media Guide - Latest Comments in TMI? TrueScoop Offers Free Public Record Search on Facebook

Re: TMI? TrueScoop Offers Free Public Record Search on Facebook

Name — Sun, 30 Aug 2009 14:23:44 -0000

If the law says that convicted sex offenders have to use the "real name" to be a member on Facebook, than why is one using a made up name containing my husband's first name in it. His real name is Aaron Hudson. The false account he made up is called Paulis Adouchebag. I have told Facebook at least 3 times about him, twice about him being both people and three times for him being a convicted/registered sex offender. But have they removed him?? NO. I have given them everything they need to remove him, even the officer who deals with sex offenders and knows he is registered in Muscatine Co. IA with the Muscatine Co. Sherriff's Dept. He was already registered in Johnson Co. IA. He was convicted of sexual assault 3rd degree for having sex with a 14yr. old girl when he was 18 and the girl was NOT his girlfriend, rather a girl he and his cousin picked up at a teen dance. He also has a sex crime against another child when he was a juvenile. He needs to be removed and blocked from Facebook, what he is doing violates their terms, plus he is also cyberbullying and they've also been informed of that, but have yet to remove him.

Re: TMI? TrueScoop Offers Free Public Record Search on Facebook

go — Wed, 20 May 2009 20:15:37 -0000

blahblah

Re: TMI? TrueScoop Offers Free Public Record Search on Facebook

shawn — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 19:54:12 -0000

Her information is already out on different websites. In which she gives out openly. I wonder what skeletons you have hidden, and your anger makes us think you are scared about something. I don't think it's your privacy you're concerned about now is it? And if it is, i recommened this website. www.lifelock.com Although i'm really 100% positive you wont visit, because we all know it's not your 411 your worried about getting out! It's probably more like your Criminal/Sex record you're worried about! Shame on you, YOU LITTLE DIDDLER YOU!!!

Re: TMI? TrueScoop Offers Free Public Record Search on Facebook

Amber — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 17:38:47 -0000

I used this application and it worked but in a way that scares me. Apparently a girl named Amber Walkowiak was born exactly one month after me here in Texas. She got a ticket in North Carolina and that is what showed up in my search. She also has the same middle name as me, so this leaves me praying that my future employers only do searches by social security # because I don't want to be blamed for anything else she may or may not do. Why couldn't my parents be more creative when they named me?

Re: TMI? TrueScoop Offers Free Public Record Search on Facebook

Craig Hansel — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 00:18:08 -0000

looking for information on Craig Hansel

Re: TMI? TrueScoop Offers Free Public Record Search on Facebook

Anon — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 15:26:18 -0000

FYI, a friend has 2 criminal convictions, one misdemeanor and one
federal felony.

The misdemeanor only shows up, also did not see traffic
ticket information as was referenced in the article.

Re: TMI? TrueScoop Offers Free Public Record Search on Facebook

Christina — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 22:23:03 -0000

While this can be used for a good cause it can also be abused in the hands of someone with wrongful intent. A lot of this inforamtion is available eslewhere online for free also but reqiures aliitle digging

Re: TMI? TrueScoop Offers Free Public Record Search on Facebook

TechBewarer — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 14:53:58 -0000

While I don't deny that the information is on the public domain, I do not agree that we should provide a way to make them even more accessible. Should a need (yet to be defined:) arise, such as company background check, etc, they can utilize the tool to search. But for others, it is simply too much power given to the public and can be abused.

One example can be that your IP can be detected and recorded by certain website, and without you knowing, they can publish that IP. Do you wish that to happen on that "site" you just visited? I think not. Similar things can happen if these "public" records are shown w/o consent.

Re: TMI? TrueScoop Offers Free Public Record Search on Facebook

kalqlate — Sat, 14 Feb 2009 17:19:25 -0000

WHOA! I nearly missed this as it was about to drop off of my 20-story-per-site news scroller.

I am 100% in the corner of Aggressive Pacifist on this one.

Yes, the information is public. But, as with a lot of utility in social networking, this will be misused and abused merely due to the app making such searches an absolute no-brainer. Translation: People will use this app without thinking. I just did a search test on myself. Having lived in Kansas, Texas, and Illinois, I was surprised to find that there were about 15 people with my EXACT name (47 who share my middle initial, which is the way I identify myself 99% of the time) and close enough to my date of birth showing a criminal record to allow someone to quickly decide "OMG! He's a criminal!!!" 3 were born the same year and, perhaps worse, 9 hand undetermined DOB. None of these is me. But can you imagine getting to know someone and they think, "Oh, I know... I'll just TrueScoop him to find out the things that I wouldn't dare ask. What's this? Oh my! Yep, that's close enough, that's got to be him. Sorry... see ya sucker! Whew! Let me be sure to warn all of my friends that TrueScoop shows that he's likely to have a criminal record."

Sure, that scenario sounds dumb, but you gotta know that that's how a large number of people think. And, sure, this is the exact same scenario that would happen if people used other sources of TrueScoop. The MAJOR difference is that those other sources require enough extra keystrokes, and in many cases enough extra $$$s, that they don't even begin to think of doing such a check.

I also applaud the app developer as I'm a software dev myself. But this app paves the way for abuse of the damaging kind. Word of advice, you better make BIG BOLD DISCLAIMERS visible on every page.

Re: TMI? TrueScoop Offers Free Public Record Search on Facebook

Daniel — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 21:26:57 -0000

I'll be contacting facebook asking them to ban this app...this "app" crosses
the line. Facebook is a way to connect with people, not dig through their old
court records.

Re: TMI? TrueScoop Offers Free Public Record Search on Facebook

AP — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 15:52:40 -0000

@alisa

Actually I don't have anything on my record... not yet at least.

Maybe the real reason I don't like this is because I like to smoke up in Golden Gate park and now if I get a ticket for it, it'll be all over Facebook!

As far as that "much better place when everyone has a hyper sense of accountability"... oh HELL no. I have lived in a different country where culturally it is like that, just because everyone is let's say 2 degrees of separation rather than 6. kind of like a big small town. there is much less privacy, and anonymity is considerably scarce.

It does mean less of certain crimes - much less, actually - but it causes negative
externalities in other less obvious ways. People are on the mean much more stressed out. The Scarlet Letter syndrome persists... people feel justified in stigmatizing anyone who's done something wrong, and people who do something wrong tend to feel that they'll never be able to shake the stigma. The country's suicide rate is astronomically higher than ours.

So I agree with you, it would make people more accountable, and it might make
crime go down. But people make mistakes, and life is a learning process. A society like this where the stakes of committing errors (as defined by prevailing mainstream opinion) is significantly higher is, I believe, not a net positive thing. It just makes it harder for mistakes to be forgiven or forgotten, either by the person themselves or by the general public.

Re: TMI? TrueScoop Offers Free Public Record Search on Facebook

Aggressive Pacifist — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 15:36:05 -0000

@ alisa

"But to your point..this is not about the app itself, the issue is really around what is and is not
public data. If anything, this app brings to light just how public our lives
really are. The heart of the issue again is the data itself. Illuminating that data
is not in of itself unethicial."

I agree. But this app doesn't stop with illuminating that fact. Illuminating that fact would be to design this app in private and then share it with a bunch of privacy advocacy organizations, congressmen, lobbyists, etc, in order to draw attention to this and to warn them that technology shifts have resulted in the erosion of privacy. This app not only illuminates but by nature does damage to the level of privacy that I feel.

The difference here is perhaps how we define "privacy" and "public". I believe "public" means not just "possibly accessible by the public" but "probably" or "likely accessible by the public".

Another long, drawn out metaphor:

I have a 1 year old son. I am cooking stew on the stove. Although there is some risk that my son could be burned by the stew, I do not take refrain from cooking, because my son is really, really unlikely to get burned by it, due to his height and his inability to walk or sale walls. It's just so difficult for him to come into contact with hot fluid or flame that I don't think twice about it. A friend comes over to visit and without my consent attaches a TrueScoop brand baby escalator that goes from the floor to the top of the stove. And then xenia, who was just passing by, comes over to offer her personal opinion about how awesome the escalator is. Sorry, couldn't resist.

In a way, the stew was already hot, all he's done is illuminate the fact that my home is not really safe. Unfortunately, of course, my gas stove is busted, and the flame is constantly turned on. So now I've got a pretty difficult situation... I can't turn off the flame, and the escalator is bolted to the floor. So now I've got the additional burden of keeping a really, really close eye on my son, and hoping that I can guide him to not burn himself, and I've also been forced by my friend with having to bother my landlord to get over here and turn that thing off. But he never picks up.

Re: TMI? TrueScoop Offers Free Public Record Search on Facebook

alisa leonard-hansen — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 15:19:37 -0000

@Aggressive Pacifist

We get it, you were arrested for indecent exposure and you'd like to forget
about it :) At least it wasn't during an era of ubiquitous iPhones and digital
cameras...it wouldn't have been just on your record, it would be all over
the internet...Ok, just giving you a hard time.

I think everyone is making great points...again, the value of the conversation this
little app has raised is in of itself a good thing, and I think we can all
agree on that.

And on a completely utopian note, perhaps if all our data is freely available and easily
accessible, it would create a kind of hyper sense of accountability and people
would be less inclined to do things they probably shouldn't...
the world could be a better place :)

Big Brother is here...and it is Us....

Re: TMI? TrueScoop Offers Free Public Record Search on Facebook

Aggressive Pacifist — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 15:10:21 -0000

fervent opinion + screwed startup = lots of time to post comments to the Internets today.

@Karel

Thank you for your response. I very much respect your openness and willingness to engage with someone who is being so pointedly critical of your project. Though I resent its availability, I believe that your application is a necessary milestone as we as a culture and a country stumble toward finding the right balance of privacy and openness, and I believe it pushes the dialogue forward, which is a positive thing. At the end of the day, we all just want what's best for the country.

"I havenâ€™t always been right about my choices, but I have a deep ethical philosophy that I take very seriously. I think this app is good because it makes public information more free."

I do not believe that making public information more free is unequivocally a positive thing. Take your first sentence for example: "I haven't always been right about your choices" is exactly what 'guy who got arrested for indecent exposure 30 years ago' would say about that misdemeanor on his record. He made a mistake, he hopefully corrected it and moved on, perhaps it's 30 years in his past, he's married now, that was a different life, etc. Again, this *is* public information right now, but the reality is that it's well "hidden" behind barriers that you've just eliminated. Your application serves this information to his friends, family, and colleagues on a silver platter, and does so without his consent. To me, this is a negative thing.

"Whether too much information is public, for example records of home ownership and everything else the government keeps, thatâ€™s another question. We should be able to lock that down better. Iâ€™d support laws that give citizens full control over that public information, including all of the credit/financial and medical information that exists about us over which we have incomplete control. But TrueScoop isnâ€™t making this information public, it is just letting everyone know it is public, and have equal and fair access to it."

A completely fair point. If we had adequate protection, I wouldn't be complaining.

"Whether smoking a joint should be illegal is complicated question, personally Iâ€™m for full legalization (and possibly regulation) of marijuna. Iâ€™d like to see victimless crimes in general not prosecuted. That doesnâ€™t mean that people need to hide from me whether they smoke anything, but they do need to take full responsibility for their choices. I think society would be better if we all chose not to do things weâ€™d like to hide. This app is one small step to a world where it is harder to hide things we do wrong. That doesnâ€™t mean people with criminal records are doomed; I believe in forgiveness."

I agree with you fully on all of those points. I am a smoker, and have a medical card that permits me to do so legally, and I think that the current laws are silly. However, regardless of my advocacy, the reality is that I do not proclaim to everyone I know that I smoke, because I know that their beliefs on the matter might cause them to unfairly (that is, in my opinion) judge me in a way that would affect our relationship in a significant way. Heaven forbid I get stopped by a cop for some reason and given a misdemeanor for possessing - there's a gray area and this is entirely possible. Now I've got a possession charge for the rest of my life, and although I take full responsibility for my own choices, I don't think it's right that when I apply for a job at WalMart when I'm 85 that this charge will show up on my record.

So this is something I hide that I think is not wrong but right, out of fear of discrimination. I wish I had enough resources and power in this world not to care if this was a private fact or not, but the reality is that I depend on others for employment, and their contrasting opinion or misunderstanding could likely result in a stigma that would negatively affect me. My point is that people have their own reasons for wanting privacy. But in the case that we've ever in our lives been prosecuted for these things we don't think should be crimes - now TrueScoop makes it harder for us to keep these things private, and therefore further makes unfair judgment much easier to receive.

Re: TMI? TrueScoop Offers Free Public Record Search on Facebook

Melody — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 15:09:30 -0000

Something to hide from TrueScoop? You may want to check out
www.clearMYrecord.com. Find out if you're eligible for clemency,
expungement, record sealing, etc., download paperwork and get filing
instructions down to the location of the room you need to got to in
the courthouse for the more than 3,000 jurisdictions across the country.

Re: TMI? TrueScoop Offers Free Public Record Search on Facebook

Tom — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 14:46:46 -0000

The TOS link on the "Allow" screen is still broken. I would say that if you're trying this app and you find that the TOS is broken for you as well, you should report the app to Facebook.

This is the TOS link I'm referring to:
http://screencast.com/t/olZ...

There may indeed be a TOS _inside_ the app but that's irrelevant - at that point you as a user have already agreed to the TOS and transferred your personal data to them.

This is specifically _why_ FB requires developers to provide a link to ToS on the allow application screen. You have to be able to read the TOS _before_ allowing access to your account. Otherwise it's useless.

Re: TMI? TrueScoop Offers Free Public Record Search on Facebook

Goofy — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 14:38:02 -0000

@ Jonathan Seely : the TOS is on the upper right hand corner.

@ agressive pacifist: Dude, what part of the words "public record" do you not understand????
Once you screwed up and you have a record it is like having a scar in your face that you will have to explain over and over again. That's why mom said don't get in trouble...

Re: TMI? TrueScoop Offers Free Public Record Search on Facebook

alisa leonard-hansen — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 14:33:40 -0000

@Aggressive Pacifist

I appreciate your long and thoughtful response. I can understand, again, the
cringe-factor of all this data becoming more visible. But to your point..this
is not about the app itself, the issue is really around what is and is not
public data. If anything, this app brings to light just how public our lives
really are. The heart of the issue again is the data itself. Illuminating that data
is not in of itself unethicial. That said, I agree with you re: semantic web that
personal data should be controlled by individuals.

What I appreciate about all this is the discussion that it has generated...up until
now, who has really ever considered the (positive or negative) power of their
personal, public record? Its not that this is an "online privacy" issue as you
mention, its a privacy issue in general if you are not comfortable with the
kind of data that is freely available in the public domain. This little app
has sparked discussion about privacy issues around information that is not
private -- if nothing else, this discussion itself is valuable. Its a wake up call.

So next biggest debate of the 21st century...what to do with all the data?

Re: TMI? TrueScoop Offers Free Public Record Search on Facebook

Aggressive Pacifist — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 14:16:46 -0000

@ alisa

I feel this application significantly reduces the barrier to obtaining information that many people consider to be personal, regretful, or private. I'm aware that the information is "ALREADY PUBLICLY AVAILABLE" and admit that itâ€™s technically inaccurate to say that such information is private. However this application significantly reduces barriers to accessing this information in a way that I believe to be a significant, material erosion of privacy, which I greatly resent. When I share information on Facebook, I am reducing my privacy at my own discretion. TrueScoop materially erodes our privacy, but without our consent.

Allow me to use a long, rambling metaphor to illustrate my points.

To me it feels like Karel has positioned a TrueScoop binoculars stand, aimed right at my bedroom window, and posted a big sign inviting anyone coming in and out of my apartment to "Use TrueScoop to check out what Aggressive Pacifist does in his bedroom that he wouldn't ever tell you about. This would be good information for you to know if you are interested in being his friend. Also, I've got 24/7/365 VHS tapes of everything he's been doing in there since he turned 18, and I've highlighted the nasty bits in case you're interested. Here's a list. By the way it's free."

In this case, the information everyone can access is public, and Karel is just making it easier. Your devil's advocacy argues "Your window IS ALREADY PUBLICLY OPEN ANYWAY, there's no law against what he's doing, anyone could walk by with their own binoculars and gaze in themselves". And I'm saying, yes I know, but the fact that no one really thinks to carry around binoculars to snoop at what I might be doing is itself a barrier - one that significantly contributes to the level of privacy that I enjoy. Karel pointing TrueScoop at my window and conducting PR to my friends to get everyone to check me out is an entirely legal but unwelcome erosion of all of the barriers - legal, practical, or whatever - that constitute the totality of my personal privacy.

To extend the metaphor excruciatingly further: if I had the ability to put up a big drape to shield my bedroom, then this wouldn't really be an issue. I'd still be annoyed at the existence of TrueScoop, and annoyed at all the TrueScoop stands Karel set up for the bedroom windows of all of us Americans. At least there would be comfortable barriers. But my landlord (the government) didn't put up a drape (adequate privacy of personal information), and I feel that Karel - although admiringly calling attention to this fact - is effectively exploiting this unfortunate situation.

So to answer your questions Alisa, I admit but resent the legality and the "but he's just making it easier"-ness of Karel's binocular stand. I actually do appreciate that it called attention to my lack of a drape, and now I want new legislation that forces my landlord to install that drape... or to provide a drape rod so I can hang up my own. Since my landlord's got bigger things to worry about right now besides my drape, clearly nothing's going to happen very quickly on that side, so in the meantime, all I can do is complain about the binocular stand, and wish that Karel would close his national chain of TrueScoop stands and focus on something else.

For me, my ability to go around the country peering through binoculars aimed at my friends'/family members'/colleagues'/neighbors' bedroom windows might be useful or interesting in certain situations. But I prefer a certain level of privacy, and prefer to let others have theirs. While other TrueScoop stands might provide me with a small but material benefit, this utility is offset by the massive, negative impact I feel from the TrueScoop aimed at my own window. As I strongly believe that most Americans would feel the same way, I believe that the net effect of this application is negative.

regarding the semantic web - yes I do champion linked data. But I believe there should be some boundaries. The government should protect our privacy to a certain level and allow no one but each individual person the right to maintain or erode it. An example, apropos of the previous topic: I believe that society is provided with a net benefit when a list of offenders of the worst sexual crimes is publicly available. I do not believe, however, that society is better off when a list of every misdemeanor we've all ever committed or every debt we currently owe is available. If someone streaked in public 20 years ago, and anyone can click instantly to see that he's got an indecent exposure charge on his record, that is going to materially affect his life and all of our lives in a negative way until he dies. Actually beyond that, I suppose: when we click through the profiles for his great-grandchildren, we'll just be a few clicks away from the misdemeanors that grandpappy committed 120 years ago.

Read this http://answers.yahoo.com/qu... and ask yourself: is society better off because this information is readily available? Obviously, I believe not. I think TrueScoop incrementally brings us closer to an unforgiving society, where there is no such thing as a past indiscretion.

Perhaps eventually the fourth amendment can provide a legal case for the establishment of proper online privacy laws.

Re: TMI? TrueScoop Offers Free Public Record Search on Facebook

Susan — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 13:17:17 -0000

@Jonathan Seely
I understand your point, but it's the courts error that the record still shows
up. My friend would likely have never even found out about the mistake until
an employer ran a background check on her. In this sense, TrueScoop
potentially saved her a future job, since she is aware of the mistake and
can take steps to correct it. But like I said, I do understand the concern of
making that information so easily accessible to anyone.

Also, I just checked the TOS and can view it fine.

Re: TMI? TrueScoop Offers Free Public Record Search on Facebook

Jonathan Seely — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 10:59:50 -0000

@Tom

Yes... since they have been live I have not been able to access the TOS.

...and as far as the person who had a record that was supposed to be expunged but
was retrieved by the searh--that is exactly what I am concerned about! You paid
your debt to society, and the crime was considered petty enough that it was due
to be expunged after X number of years, but there it is, back there to haunt you.. Now,
lets make that information EASILY shared in a viral environment and suddenly an
indiscretion that should not even be public info anymore is colouring people's
perceptions of you, and unfairly at that.

Re: TMI? TrueScoop Offers Free Public Record Search on Facebook

Tom — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 10:51:05 -0000

Has anyone else found that the Terms of Service is not viewable for this applications?

That kind of gives me pause given that it is all about distributing personal information - what if they intend to use your facebook info to help supplement their database? With no ToS how could you know?

Re: TMI? TrueScoop Offers Free Public Record Search on Facebook

Xenia — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 00:15:22 -0000

@ Agressive Pacifist
Hey Sherlock, I usually do not publicize my personal opinion under my full name, but if you are interested in a more professional wording publicized under Xenia von Wedel than please see: http://web2.sys-con.com/nod...

Anyways, unless you have a public record, this app is not much more revealing than a phonebook and a series of searches you can do on elsewhere on the internet. If you do have a record, then consider it the pillory of digital lifestyle.
However, for anyone who is online dating this is a valid tool before going on a date... now that people are befriending other people on Facebook, this seems to be the logical place to find this sort of information in the right place. IMHO, Cheers Xenia

Re: TMI? TrueScoop Offers Free Public Record Search on Facebook

Karel — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 23:38:22 -0000

@Aggresive Pacifist

I'm very much concerned that my work is a net good for society. I haven't always been right about my choices, but I have a deep ethical philosophy that I take very seriously. I think this app is good because it makes public information more free.

Whether too much information is public, for example records of home ownership and everything else the government keeps, that's another question. We should be able to lock that down better. I'd support laws that give citizens full control over that public information, including all of the credit/financial and medical information that exists about us over which we have incomplete control. But TrueScoop isn't making this information public, it is just letting everyone know it is public, and have equal and fair access to it.

Whether smoking a joint should be illegal is complicated question, personally I'm for full legalization (and possibly regulation) of marijuna. I'd like to see victimless crimes in general not prosecuted. That doesn't mean that people need to hide from me whether they smoke anything, but they do need to take full responsibility for their choices. I think society would be better if we all chose not to do things we'd like to hide. This app is one small step to a world where it is harder to hide things we do wrong. That doesn't mean people with criminal records are doomed; I believe in forgiveness.

People have personal information about me, and about my family, because I wasn't careful with it at some point. My bad. We all need to learn to more careful with personal information in a computerized society, as facebook is making great efforts to teach us. There are great books about protecting privacy, such as How to Be Invisible by J.J. Luna, which we should all understand - but it takes great disciple and effort. I admire such effort, and wish you the best with it.

TrueScoop doesn't make anything new public, it just educates all of us about what is public. Both for ourselves and for our friends and family.

If so want to see more of my true colors, check out another app I launched over a year ago called I Am Safe. http://apps.facebook.com/ia... . That one wasn't as sexy as this, so never got widespread attention, but it is clearly for the social good.

Re: TMI? TrueScoop Offers Free Public Record Search on Facebook

alisa leonard-hansen — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 22:56:53 -0000

@Aggressive Pacifist

Firstly, your resourcefulness in outing Xenia is applauded. Secondly, if I may
again play devil's advocate here...everyone is getting very upset over data
that is ALREADY PUBLICLY AVAILABLE. How is it a violation of privacy if I can
already access this data? I'm not saying I am totally comfortable with it, but
this data is not "private." Its public data-- that's how the app can even
access it in the first place. So I am trying to get at the crux of the uproar--
is it because this data is public, or that barrier to access has simply been
reduced?

Now, AP, re: "the future of the Web." If you are a champion of Semantic Web and
champion the idea of linked data and the creation of a universal "data bus"
analogous to the web itself, than this is precisely the kind of data
accessibility we are championing. It is not necessarily that when you "add Alisa
as a friend" that you will have access to all said public data about me-- but certainly
public data made available in the "data bus" could potentially be a part of one's
uiversal identity (however, it is assumed that in this phase, one's identity
will be controlled by the end user, and not by any one application of service,
hence the whole reasoning behind decentralized identity data).