Information clearinghouse Intellius has announced that they will now have an iPhone app (coming soon to Android & Blackberry) that will allow people to do instant public records searches on potential dating partners. cite
I’m reminded of this scene from Amazon Women On The Moon, and so I have to ask: is this really a good idea; i.e. is this a positive, to be able to quickly and instantly have quite this much information in hand?
I think it would be difficult to distinguish between those using the service under the guise of “protecting themselves” and those using the service for “stalker-ish” reasons. The intentions may be different, but the result would be identical.
And, as I’ve said before in threads related to employment background checks, etc., untrained people are at risk of drawing faulty conclusions that may be harmful to another person based on neutral data points about that person.
In addition, I would think anyone who feels the need to do this kind of check on a potential dating partner maybe is in the wrong business to begin with (dating).
I don’t have a huge problem with it but I don’t really see the point. The only public information I can think of that would be relevant to dating would be; current marital state, restraining orders, criminal history, children or approximate net worth. The first three are pretty worth knowing and might be potentially lied about. The last two would help with decisions but they would normally be discovered in regular conversations. Other information like a credit check seem like they would fall under the category of TMI and only would serve to bury potentially useful information.
This doesn’t seem like a big deal if I understand right. You can already do these kinds of searches, the only difference now is that you can search in the bathroom on your date instead of having to find a computer to do the search.
Hmmm. Thought there’d be more interest and opinion on this, TBH.
My $.02: I can certainly see wanting to know if the person you are about to have dinner with is a child molester, murdered their former spouse, or something of that nature.
But net worth? Checking social networking sites? That skit I linked to in the OP isn’t a joke any longer, it’s reality. Everything you ever said, every awkward comment, is now up for review by every single person you meet, forever.
Bounced a check? Intellius knows. Missed a bill payment? Intellius knows. Called your ex- a name during an argument? Intellius knows.
I can see where this app will be a boon for gold diggers, scam artists, and other predators. Looking for a spouse with money? This will certainly help you weed out anyone who doesn’t fit your criteria.
IMO, the kids growing up today will have a radically different view of privacy and a more strictly ordered society than anything the world has ever seen or conceived. And I’m not entirely convinced that it’s a good thing.
Watch that video in the OP, and then think about whether or not you want to live in a world like that. Then realize that you don’t have a choice; it’s already that world.
If it’s already that world, and we don’t really seem to mind, then I guess that world isn’t so bad after all.
“…and it says here you once picked up a dog by the hind legs and pushed him around like a vaccum cleaner.”