It's impressive, scary to see what a Zaba search can do

San Francisco Chronicle ^ | 4-15-2005 | David Lazarus

[Cagey]

Everything that's great and everything that's frightening about the Internet can be summed up in a single word.

Zaba.

That's Zaba as in ZabaSearch.com, a so-called people search site that allows you to quickly track down the whereabouts of just about anyone, free of charge.

There are already numerous people search resources online, varying widely in reliability and fees.

(There's also an interesting story about the people behind ZabaSearch and the notorious mass suicide in Southern California involving the Heaven's Gate cult. But we'll get back to that.)

What makes ZabaSearch great is that, at no cost, it quickly and comprehensively places a remarkable amount of data about people right at your fingertips.

What makes ZabaSearch frightening is that, at no cost, it quickly and comprehensively places a remarkable amount of data about people right at your fingertips.

"It's extremely troubling," said Gail Hillebrand, a staff attorney with Consumers Union in San Francisco.

"It's a fundamental invasion of privacy because they've put all these records together and give them away for nothing instead of keeping them separate and making people pay to get them."

Robert Zakari, ZabaSearch's president, told me the service was quietly unveiled on Feb. 28 without any marketing or publicity. All traffic since then has been exclusively through word of mouth.

Once people discover the site, Zakari said, they typically begin hunting for old girlfriends or boyfriends, former classmates or military pals.

"It's all about making contact," he said. "It's addictive."

It's also in the eyes of some a threat to people's privacy and safety.

"Think what this could mean for anyone with a stalker problem or a restraining-order issue," said Hillebrand at Consumers Union.

But Zakari countered that ZabaSearch represents only "a natural evolution of technology."

[Cagey]

I wasn't surprised they had my address down pat, but my birth date? Geeze, I AM old.

[Mr. Jeeves]

Well, it had two of my former addresses and my name attached to my brother's current and past address (???) Nothing current. I'd say it isn't ready for prime time just yet...

[RippleFire]

bump

[Darksheare]

Wow, no matches for me.

[nw_arizona_granny]

Ping

[Americanchild]

You exist only on Freerepublic. Any other memories outside of this realm were put there in a grand conspiracy by the Bush Administration.

[Darksheare]

LOL!

I'm a figment of everyone's imagineation, including my own.
*chuckle*

[Alouette]

Very odd. My address and phone # came up under a name with a middle initial that I never use. Meanwhile my real name and middle initial came up with someone else's info.

[Deetes]

mark for searching ;)

[meowmeow]

Weird. I typed in my maiden name and it said I lived at your house.

[eno_]

"It's a fundamental invasion of privacy because they've put all these records together and give them away for nothing instead of keeping them separate and making people pay to get them."

Yeah, as long as only the government can do this, it's OK. In the hands of the serfs, it could be dangerous.

[Tennessee_Bob]

bookmark ping

[brothers4thID]

This is the one and only time I bless my parents for gifting me with an exceedingly common name. If someone wants to sort through the 6,000+ matches that are found with my name and state, they can go right ahead!!

[Constitution Day]

They got my info right too.
I was glad to see that my unlisted phone number is... unlisted.

[LibWrangler]

The site asked me for a credit card to process my request.

Not exactly free.

[Constitution Day]

I think just the search is free.
I did not click the "Background Check" link.

[Redcloak]

It's nice to know that I still have a fair amount of anonymity. It didn't turn up anything on me without some serious hinting.

[cgbg]

It is good to see that my unlisted phone number is still...unlisted.

:-)

[DManA]

Looks like the free information costs $20.

[jigsaw]

It found several Fred Flintstones.

[Calpernia]

Holy Moly! I put my name in to test it AND it brings up all my family member with THEIR data?

[taxed2death]

same here...I'm "persona non grata".


kewel

[Calpernia]

I would be laughing at that right now if I wasn't so shocked by the search returns I got.

[cloud8]

Yep, found 'em all.

[TonyRo76]

Freaky. Big Brother is watching, for sure. :-(

[Darksheare]

LOL!
We're invisible!

[sionnsar]

It messed up my address...

[sionnsar]

It lists a friend who passed away several years ago.

[1L]

They have me listed at 4 addresses (none of which are correct, though 2 were correct, though incomplete, at one time) and a wrong birthdate.

I'm beginning to wonder if the only way to safeguard your privacy is to do at least the following three things:

1. Get a voice mail service and give out that number only anytime you give out a number to anyone other than friends/family.
2. Get a mail box at a Mail Boxes etc. and do the same thing as in 1.
3. Register an assumed name form with the county, and conduct as much of your business as you can that way. Yes, its public record, but no one will think of it.

Also, there are books on Amazon about how to disappear. I'm not really interested in doing that, but I'm guessing it may have enough collateral information on safeguarding your privacy to be worth it.

[eno_]

Every LEO with a terminal in his squad car has access to this, plus ALL your real estate and financial assets, on demand, any time.

Welcome to the soft cage.

[B4Ranch]

Search using this method (all small letters)

mary jones
mary d jones
mary d t jones
jones mary
jones mary d
jones mary d t
jones m d
jones m d t

[B4Ranch]

It is in the hands of the serfs.

[Darksheare]

Still zip.
*sigh*

[RobRoy]

Hah. I searched myself. They were not very good. They had me listed twice. First was my old address in a previous marriage. Second was the apartment I lived at when I originally moved out. I have lived in three other addresses in that same town since then and they cought none of them, including my current address where I have been for over two years. And the only phone number they had was from the house I lived at for 20 years in the previous marriage.

Not impressed - yet.

[RobRoy]

It doesn't work very well with firefox. The hypertext links don't work. I have to use IE to use them.

[Junior]

Cool! I don't show up in any of their searches! I'm a complete non-entity as far as the powers-that-be are concerned.

[Junior]

I take that back. I did show up when I narrowed it down. Rats!

[Billthedrill]

MUHAHAHAHA! There is no William T. Drill listed anywhere!

Now, if that were only my real name...

[cjshapi]

Hell's bells, I didn't know there were so many of me! Down to the middle initial.

But those stupid little Zabas don't know everything. That's my old address, phone, etc.

[muir_redwoods]

They haven't got me and I serve in town government. I am also a Justice of the Peace and my name appears as a public record on dozens of marriage licenses. I even put in some of the more common misspellings.

[B4Ranch]

LOL Some folks just aren't leaving trails behind them. Do your feet touch the floor?

[Rakkasan1]

I wonder who runs this site and if it's legit. Would hate to give a card # to some George Soreass front group or something.

[dfwgator]

"Here's looking up your old address."

[Darksheare]

*looking downward*

I am touching the floor.
What's it mean when I can see the floor through my feet?

I know I've left a bit of a footprint behind.
Strange that the search thingy didn't find it.
I'm almost disappointed.

[jwh_Denver]

"This is the one and only time I bless my parents for gifting me with an exceedingly common name."

I have a very uncommon name, like as in every person with my last name is some kind of relative. Caught some I was totally unaware of. Did find an old buddy that I'd lost track of. I wonder who else I can track down?

[Fledermaus]

"It's extremely troubling," said Gail Hillebrand, a staff attorney with Consumers Union in San Francisco.

"It's a fundamental invasion of privacy because they've put all these records together and give them away for nothing instead of keeping them separate and making people pay to get them."

Liberal idiots say the stuipidist things.

[Fledermaus]

Not too impressive. It has my current address and old phone number (I switched to my unlisted second line and dropped the first when I got a cable modem) and it has my last address.

That's it. I can find this same information at other sites.

[k2blader]

It couldn't find my name. :-)

[Drew68]

I am nowhere to be found. My dad (I'm a junior) is there but not me. Helps that I've always had an unlisted telephone number and a po box.

People I wish to correspond with know where to find me.

[DameAutour]

HA! I'm not even listed...