For the past 2 years, people are unpleasantly surprised to find private info, such as age, children, even what they paid for their house, popping up when their name is googled. And are relieved to find that they can pay a monthly extortion fee to keep that personal info off the web.
Now, it has reached a point. when your name is Googled, links can appear that smear your name with innuendo, so that you have no choice except to pay to keep your reputation intact.
My neighbor, Kim, is in a state of shock after Googling her
own name. She is a fledgling freelance writer. Her web reputation must
remain spotless, or she will not get work.
At the top of the search page was a link to "Pipl Directory " Kim clicked
on the link. It read,
"DOES KIM HAVE A CRIMINAL RECORD?"
"Click here to access all of Kim's arrests!"
Suddenly, Kim understood why work has been soft lately.
20 years ago, Kim was a stubborn teen, and ran away briefly at age 16.
She was picked up as a passenger in a car of a drug dealer. She was arrested
briefly, and returned home. From that point, she turned herself around, worked
her way through college, and is a decent, hardworking adult.
She never dreamed that a small transgression as a minor, could - legally - be touted
in a web ad, to destroy her adult career.
When she saw the Pipl page, she complained to Google. Google told her to deal directly with Pipl.
She went to the Pipl website to "opt out" her name.
The Pipl email address was non functioning. There is no phone number.
The address listed by Piple turns out to be a UPS store. The name of
the owner of Pipl is classified information.
She checked BBB. It has numerous complaints about Pipl.
Kim chose not complain to BBB or consumer groups for this reason:
BBB would give Pipl Kim's name and address. Kim would still know
NOTHING about Pipl. She would be ripe for retaliation.
Here is the Extortion part:
To the right of the "how to opt out" page, were independent links.
The links were to operations that will remove unwanted information for a $10 A MONTH FEE.
It seems suspect that these companies might operate in tandem. The company that smears, and the company that removes the smear for a monthly fee.
Kim did yet another search on Pipl. This time, she found a page that said she could opt out by filling in a form. The form would only allow removal of professional history, not the smear.
My problem with all this is:
1. why the individual behind this "company" is allowed total anonymity. They
prey on the public, while their own names are protected; and
2. how is it that a major moneymaker, like Google, can operate with no responsibility
or accountability to the public