# How did they find out \[my identity\] ..... **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 25, 2010, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-they-find-out-my-identity/537266 "2010-04-25T02:05:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2010, 11:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-they-find-out-my-identity/537266/21 "2010-04-26T23:34:34Z")
Well. I’m boned. ---
**Author:** ![DrFidelius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drfidelius/32/3447_2.png) [@DrFidelius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrFidelius)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2010, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-they-find-out-my-identity/537266/22 "2010-04-26T23:54:25Z")
> [@xash](#): > > Enter your registered email address here and it gives me your first name: > > [http://www.spokeo.com/email](http://www.spokeo.com/email) > > They might have used a similar service. Doesn’t have my name, or a correct city. Not on my usual email account, my gmail account, or the name / account combination I use on Amazon and Ebay. No pictures, just their “samples.” I’m not so impressed, but then again I leave a very small footprint. ---
**Author:** ![furryman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/furryman/32/99_2.png) [@furryman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/furryman)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2010, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-they-find-out-my-identity/537266/23 "2010-04-26T23:55:44Z")
> [@xash](#): > > Enter your registered email address here and it gives me your first name: > > [http://www.spokeo.com/email](http://www.spokeo.com/email) > > They might have used a similar service. This seems like a bit of a scam to me it tells me it’s got photos posted by me, blogs posted by me and social group activity. But when I try to find out more details it just asks me for money. ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2010, 1:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-they-find-out-my-identity/537266/24 "2010-04-27T01:03:57Z")
> [@olivesmarch4th](#): > > Well. I’m boned. Same here. Every stupid thing I ever said anywhere will come back to haunt me. ---
**Author:** ![JoelUpchurch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f05b48/32.png) [@JoelUpchurch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JoelUpchurch)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2010, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-they-find-out-my-identity/537266/25 "2010-04-27T03:36:20Z")
I read many years ago that you should never put anything in writing that will cause you any embarrassment if it is published on the front page of the newspaper. The rule served me well when the Internet came around. It isn’t just what you post on message boards. I’m talking about email, stuff on your hard drive, even stuff you write in your diary. ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2010, 4:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-they-find-out-my-identity/537266/26 "2010-04-27T04:36:55Z")
> [@DrFidelius](#): > > Doesn’t have my name, or a correct city… I leave a very small footprint. Glad to see I do, too. No real name, and it’s got me in California. [cal] I mean come ONNN, I am SOOO not a CaliFORRRnia sort of person, I mean like I’m SURRRE…" [/cal] But the line I loved is that they wanted me to \*\*\*“Click here to find digs on 40+ social networks”. \*\*\* Guess how many social networks I’m on: zero. I wish one of _ **my** “online enemies”_\* would pony up a dozen or two dollars to learn all about _my_ networks… \*No, I haven’t had '_enemies’_ since 2nd grade, but after reading this… you can bet I’ll be sure not too make any! ---
**Author:** ![Encinitas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee7513/32.png) [@Encinitas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Encinitas)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2010, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-they-find-out-my-identity/537266/27 "2010-04-27T21:22:46Z")
Well it can’t be all that accurate because it says my gmail account belongs to a 91 year old male! ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2010, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-they-find-out-my-identity/537266/28 "2010-04-27T21:30:30Z")
Hmm, entering [bryan514@hotmail.com](mailto:bryan514@hotmail.com), an address I’ve used for over ten years (and has been in my contact info here at SDMB since I joined in 2000), would tell someone I’m an 18 year-old man in Guatemala. ---
**Author:** ![Giles](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giles/32/60_2.png) [@Giles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giles)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2010, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-they-find-out-my-identity/537266/29 "2010-04-27T21:42:10Z")
That Spokeo site also has a telephone number look-up. When I try my home phone, it does identify the two people living there (just by initials, presumably unless you pay them), but it has decided that I’m single while the woman living in my house is married. What I want to know is, who is she married to, why she hasn’t told me, and why has she been living adulterously with me for more than 30 years. ---
**Author:** ![Perciful](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/b38774/32.png) [@Perciful](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Perciful)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2010, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-they-find-out-my-identity/537266/30 "2010-04-27T22:11:23Z")
> [@DanBlather](#): > > OMG! It knows what my Pandora playlists are. This thing is bogus or goes on old information. It says I MAKE 60K A YEAR! That my home is worth 250,000? So I put in a friends and the same info came up. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2010, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-they-find-out-my-identity/537266/31 "2010-04-27T22:47:29Z")
> [@xash](#): > > Enter your registered email address here and it gives me your first name: > > [http://www.spokeo.com/email](http://www.spokeo.com/email) > > They might have used a similar service. It got mine wrong.🆒 ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2010, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-they-find-out-my-identity/537266/32 "2010-04-27T23:11:57Z")
It didn’t give my first name. ---
**Author:** ![Fair\_Rarity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fair_rarity/32/153_2.png) [@Fair\_Rarity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fair_Rarity)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2010, 2:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-they-find-out-my-identity/537266/33 "2010-04-28T02:29:04Z")
My first name was the name on my now-deleted Flickr account. It has my right town and my MySpace avatar. It has a Pandora playlist. I’m relatively careful about what I do. I’m just getting tired of having to live either entirely as a hermit or have every site I use share my info. I use a lot of different aliases and just-for-junk email accounts, but it’s tiring. My MySpace info is private except for what everyone can see (your name, I think.) But that you can get my myspace page by plugging in my email pisses me off. I’m sure I clicked some box that let MySpace or Pandora do that, but it doesn’t mean I have to be happy about it. ---
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2010, 3:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-they-find-out-my-identity/537266/34 "2010-04-28T03:17:13Z")
I just tried searching on Spokeo for four email addresses, two of them mine, two of acquaintances that live a long way away (one in Australia!). It gave my own hometown (or at least a nearby larger town) as the location for all of them. Basically, it’s a crock. ---
**Author:** ![Icarus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/icarus/32/72_2.png) [@Icarus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Icarus)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2010, 12:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-they-find-out-my-identity/537266/35 "2010-04-28T12:42:31Z")
I this whole thread just an ad for [www.spokeo.com](http://www.spokeo.com)? ---
**Author:** ![Darth\_Panda](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ee7513/32.png) [@Darth\_Panda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darth_Panda)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2010, 12:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-they-find-out-my-identity/537266/36 "2010-04-28T12:57:34Z")
I’m not in the habit of making online enemies, but it is somewhat comforting to know that thousands and thousands of people have the same name as me. ---
**Author:** ![hellpaso](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ecae2f/32.png) [@hellpaso](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hellpaso)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2010, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-they-find-out-my-identity/537266/37 "2010-04-28T14:56:21Z")
LOL–I wouldn’t worry too much about spokeo. It shows me as a very young Hispanic girl with 7 Spanish only blogs, and belonging to 9 social networking sites. It has my name as the first part of my email, and my location as a city an hour away from where I am. It also shows a friend of mine from Tennessee as being located in that same city. ---
**Author:** ![Drain\_Bead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e47774/32.png) [@Drain\_Bead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drain_Bead)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2010, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-they-find-out-my-identity/537266/38 "2010-04-28T15:09:23Z")
So it came up with the pictures from my LJ, and what it thinks is a picture of me. The picture of me is actually of **Demo**. ---
**Author:** ![Skammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skammer/32/143_2.png) [@Skammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skammer)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2010, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-they-find-out-my-identity/537266/39 "2010-04-28T15:21:02Z")
Based on my email address, spokeo doesn’t know my name and thinks I live in Madison, WI. Suckers! ---
**Author:** ![Lionne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Lionne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lionne)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2010, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-they-find-out-my-identity/537266/40 "2010-04-28T17:20:30Z")
Would be funny if Spokeo included a link to this thread where everyone’s giving out enough info to make logical guesses and/or deductions. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-they-find-out-my-identity/537266.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-they-find-out-my-identity/537266.md?page=3)