Slashdot Mirror
A Background of a 'Background Checker'
pamri writes "The Times of India profiles Jay Patel, of Abika, a firm that specializes in background checks, personality profiles, satellite or aerial Photos of any location besides other services in the US. It is now venturing into other countries including Canada and India.
Abika is already facing protests from Canadian Privacy groups for breaching the Canadian Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act"
Hell, Google will do a damn good job of that. Hundreds of USENET posts and forum posts and website things, you can find most of my life out there on big ol' web.....
Of Ice, Snow and the Eskimo (Inuit) is finally succumbing to being invaded by Americans (for flu vaccine, for our natural resources, and now for our privacy). Oh great, we get to become the 52nd State!
;) )
(Iraq is 51st
People may be shouting about it, but what international laws prevent this? Espionage? Isn't that for state bodies though.
"It is now venturing into other countries including Canada and India. Abika is already facing protests from Canadian Privacy groups for breaching the Canadian Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act"
So in other words. Privacy (getting around) is being outsourced.
Welcome to the Brave New World. Hope everyone brought an antacid?
Since they are not a Canadian enitiy, they are not bound by Canadian laws. As such, they are not accountable to any but likely much less strict Indian laws. So how does one deal with this? Either 1) Make whomever uses the service (in Canada) be liable, 2) enact international laws via UN or such, or 3) stick head in ground and hope problems go away. This is another problem that comes with being a global community.
I actually remember that the CBC did a piece on this topic. Here's the video.
Perhaps the reason why we know so little about each other is that people feel the need to sneak around and dig up dirt on others and then use that information against them? If you truly wanted to know more about someone, then open your mouth and ask that someone.
People say I'm crazy, I got diamonds on the soles of my shoes...
I hate to be the one running around with a tin foil hat here, but I don't like this idea one bit. Although some see huge privacy implications in this, my personal reasons are more religious.
How long until each entry has an X, Y, and Z associated with it?
Electrons are free; it is moving them that becomes expensive.
Other comments have said basically that anyone whose company's not based in country X doesn't have to abide by the laws of country X when acting within the borders of country X. Granted, aerial photos is a bit of a grey area, but within the concept that in order to take a picture of Canada to that resolution, you'd pretty much be intentionally invading Canadian airspace, at least in principle, then it's pretty much like jaywalking in Germany but saying that since you're American, you don't have to abide by German laws.
stuff |
If everyone knew everything about everyone else, or at least had access to such information, there would be less problems.
Name one that would be solved this way.
Besides, why try and hide things, when it is becoming harder and harder to do so?
Because I don't wan't everyone knowing a lot about me. I like people not knowing stuff about me. Particularly things like my income (why should anyone care buy me and the IRS), ex-wives, speeding tickets, where I live when I don't know them, who I talk to and a whole host of other things. If I choose to tell someone or post something on the internet that is fine by me. But I don't want them finding out info any other way.
At least when I submit to a government background check I have to give them permision first.
Fly me to the moon Let me sing among those stars Let me see what spring is like On jupiter and mars
Lawson believes Canadian privacy law should apply to Abika since it is selling Canadians' information about themselves, but there are hurdles because the firm is based in the United States.
In the UK we have strong data protection laws as well. However, many companies that take our data make us waive the right by saying that we are aware that the data may be moved outside the UK (Bank call centres in India?) and our rights do not apply.
I guess that these may not have been tested yet and may be like click-through EULA that may not always stand up, but our privacy is being gradualy eroded away to whichever country has the weakest privacy laws.
Okay, so let me get this straight. A company is searching through and compiling publicly available information, and then making some TheSpark-style random conjectures based on these data?
Where is the expectation of privacy here? Do I have a (reasonable) expectation that data about me on the internet are private? Even my grandmother can tell you that that's ridiculous. This is the cyberspace equivalent of looking through my garbage, not breaking into my house. I hope this action falls on its face, because people providing information aggregation of all kinds are a very valuable, growing part of the coolness the internet has to offer and I want to encourage them in any way possible, even if it does mean that someone might know I bought a USB Christmas tree off ThinkGeek.
Two qualifications, though:
adam b.
select * from people where id=666;
creation science book
For example, borrowing a good example used here earlier, if you are a big Grateful Dead fan who goes to all their concerts and runs a website dedicated to them, you are a pot smoker.
People say I'm crazy, I got diamonds on the soles of my shoes...
Comprehensive Background Checks, typically return Subject's Name, Aliases, AKA's Age Month & year of birth Date and Location where SSN issued. Others associated with SSN 22 year address/phone history B&W Satellite Photo of current location Nationwide Bankruptcy Search - Nationwide Judgments, Liens Search Nationwide Real Property Search Property Assessments Others listed at subjects address Possible Associates Relatives summary, names & phone numbers Voter Registrations Records Current Neighbors, Names, addresses, phones Court cases involving subject FAA registrations Drug Enforcement Agency Search FAA Airmen, FAA Aircraft Social Security Death Index Professional Licenses Internet Domain Ownership Corporate affiliations UCC filings (Business Loans) Aircraft Ownership Vessels Ownership Motor Vehicles, Motorcycles, Boats Ownership (FL, ME, MN, MS, MP, NE, NC, OH, TX, WI) Drivers License Info (FL, ID, MN, MO, OH, TX, WI) Concealed Weapons Permit (AR, FL, IN, LA, ME, ND, VA) Hunting & Fishing Permits (AK, AL, AR, CT, DE, FL, GA, IL, MA, MS, MO, MT, ND, NV, NJ, NC, OH, OK, UT, VA, WI)
It looks like IT hasn't been the only victim of offshoring. Who would have thought that BIG BROTHER would be outsourced to India too..and you can have all that information AND a psychological profile based on past actions for $140. It's like a credit report of your ENTIRE LIFE. I'm almost tempted to get one just to see why I get hired/turned down for the jobs I apply to.
Comment removed based on user account deletion
...that was aired recently, the founder of Abika claimed that privacy is stupid and that he doesn't believe in it. In short, he declared his hostility to the very notion of privacy.
Perhaps it would be possible to publish some of his family's private information on the web to test his conviction that privacy is stupid. Perhaps this could be done in the same way that folks published some facts from Poindexter's private life as a response to the Total Information Awareness initiative.
Also, Abika's business model depends upon privacy. In other words, in the upper right hand side of http://www.abika.com, there is a "private, confidential, guaranteed" logo, which makes sense as Abika's services would be far less attractive to customers without such a guarantee. If Jay Patel really believes that privacy is stupid, then I challenge him to publish on his website the results of all background checks. More importantly, I challenge Jay Patel to inform the targets of background checks when checks are being performed and also of the identity of the requesters of the checks. After all, the major credit reporting agencies such as TRW are now being forced to report such information to the targets of credit checks, so why should Abika be permitted to operate any differently?
Basic Background Search (Public Records) (USA) $9.98
General Background Check (USA) $49.98
Comprehensive Background Check (USA) $69.98
Background Check including Psychological Profile (Includes Behavior History and more) (USA) $139.98
Background Search with Nationwide Criminal Record Search $99.98
Background Search with Statewide Criminal Record Search $79.98
Find / Locate this Person (Public records search only) $29.98
Verify Employment (each) $24.98
Verify Income $39.95
Property Search $24.98
Civil Court Records Search (each Court) $29.98
State Criminal Records Search (First Name, Last Name, DOB required) $39.98
County Criminal Records Search (each County) $29.98
Copies of Court Documents for criminal and civil court records $39.98
Police Reports, Accident Reports Search by County, City or License Plate Number $69.98
Search History of Employment (Public Records) (Searches Public Records and Work Databases) $49.98
Current Employment Search $149.98
Search / Verify Education & College Degrees $59.98
Find email or IM from physical address $49.95
Find Cell Phone Number, Address & Name from SSN $169.98
Search Date of Birth of this person $14.98
Search Possible Girlfriends/Boyfriends/Spouses/Roommates $99.95
Search Social Security Number $139.98
Search Utility Records (Trace person by searching Electric or Gas utility accounts) $79.98
Find Relatives (Through Public Records) $49.98
Search Family Tree Returns info on Ancestors $139.98
Physical Address from P.O.Box & Name $89.98
USA Nationwide Criminal Records Search (First Name, Last Name, DOB required) $59.98
Unconventional Behavior Search $89.98
Background Check for Canada (Please click on above link for info on this search) $119.98
Sex Offender Search (each state) $17.98
International Background Check (Each Country, Please click on above link for info on this search) $139.98
Medical Records $89.98
Statewide Marriage Records Search (CA, CO, KY, TX, ME, NV, FL) $24.98
Statewide Divorce Records Search $179.98
Statewide Marriage Records Search (Any other state except CA, CO, KY, TX, ME, NV, FL) $179.96
Find Person by their First Name & Age $39.98
Find Person by their Maiden Name $49.98
Sexual Orientation Search (Name, Address, DOB required) $49.98
Cheating Search (Relationships) (Name, Address, DOB required) $89.98
Verify Name, DOB from Picture (Checks if Name & DOB belongs to the person in the picture) $89.98
28 Hour Rush Delivery $39.95
What was it he dug up on her that made her marry a sneaky bastard like him in three short weeks? And how desperately did he need his Green Card? Or is that "none of our business?"
People say I'm crazy, I got diamonds on the soles of my shoes...
More and more the technology for communications are breaking down barriers both physical and national. And it's precisely a "national game" that I see service providers like this playing more and more effectively. Previously it was just a megacorp that could set up operations in a foreign country, but with services become virtualized and products becoming not much more than information, even small fries can use their national benefits to provide what can't be gotten locally.
... to control all this potential with WIPO-like legislation and freedom-sapping rules.
What'll come next? Probably nations realizing that they're losing control that they thought they once had, and finally coming together. To globalize and equalize citizenship? Goodness, no
Forget google, what about all those times in elementary, middle, and high school when teachers told us that "this will go on your permanent record"? I guess they really WEREN'T bullshitting us after all. :(
This is just data rape, pure and simple. This company is gathering vasts amounts of your personal, public and private dealings over several years and then peddling that information to souless private companies.
.They'll also bitch about how we have no right to privacy(while keeping their own records out of the public eye).
This is wrong pure and simple.
I don't question someone's right to have access to "specific" data about me. i.e my GP needs to know my blood type, the taxman needs to know my income, the pizza delivery boys needs to know my address. But the wholesale collection and amalgamation of every possible facet of my life by people who have no business knowing anything about me, disgusts me to my very core. No doubt Mr Patel wets himself over the prospect of getting access to embedded RFID telemetry as well.
Stalking is a crime. When stalkers are caught with pictures, diaries and details of people's whereabouts and dealings, this is usually used against them in a court case. why shouldn't the same apply to Mt Patel and his kind?
This behaviour is inexcusable. Noone needs to know this much about anyone else and those that do should be prosecuted. Persons and Companies should have the minimum amount of data possible on any one person. Data is on a need to know basis, and they don't need to know.
Of course, these dirty data raping fiends will argue on grounds of civil liberty(which they threaten), free speech(which they help to chill) and of course they play the happy smiley, "Our motives are purely innocent, you have nothing to fear" PR card, that will fool so many people.(That whole three week marraige story is probobly just a PR stunt)
Well guess what. I have a right to dignity. And if some private company starts selling off every minutes detail about me, every action I have ever done, every rumour, everything I've said or been remotely involved in, be it happy, sad, embarrassing, glad, hopeful, disparing or just plain private, to every slobbering data hungry slimeball that comes looking for it, I consider that a pretty big dent in my personal dignity pal! See you in court!
May the Maths Be with you!
This guy is doing it here, but as the off shore trend increases the information is going to become more available to potentially hostile foreign governments.
Manage it now or pay the price later. We're already paying the price with companies like this one cropping up. This is nothing less than domestic spying.
That's our life, the big wheel of shit. - The Fat Man, Blue Tango Salvage
to take a picture of Canada to that resolution, you'd pretty much be intentionally invading Canadian airspace
Sorry, not right. Since we are talking about satellites here "airspace" does not apply. This from a US Navy law page:
The upper limit of airspace subject to national jurisdiction has not been authoritatively defined by international law. International practice has established that airspace terminates at some point below the point at which artificial satellites can be placed in orbit without free-falling to earth. Outer space begins at that undefined point. All nations enjoy a freedom of equal access to outer space and none may appropriate it to its national airspace or exclusive use.
--- Tolerance is the axiomatic "virtue" of those without convictions ---
I havn't seen anyone mention this yet, but this was the first thing I thought of.
Pay a couple bucks to this company, get complete background on someone, and then take over their life....you now know everything about them and their past, you don't even have to create things. This means that anything you say about your past can be verified as true.
The other thing that really got me going was this comment...
"Patel questions the need for restrictions on personal information, saying lack of data about people is what breeds fear and ignorance. "Most people don't care about privacy. It's the media that makes it a big hype.""
I'm sure that there are LOTS of people that care about privacy...why do you think we have curtains on our windows?
Zro . two
"I come from Canada...they say I'm slow....eh?"
I believe they can do this in India because we are sending all our information there for processing in the first place. Once it's there, it doesn't take too much to bribe someone to get those records.
There should be laws that prevent any company from sending US citizen's private information overseas (with a very broad definition of "private", to prevent abuse). This not only will stop this leak, it will also keep some jobs here (medical transcriptions, marketing and all "data mining" business as it relates to person's activity or credit).
Countries that dont have a Data Protection Act like *cough* the USA need to get one, and countries that do need to add a clause to stop any stupid loop-holes. Oh and also kick people like Blunkett out who want to shit all over the DPA for no reason.
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The guy sounds like a real creep, and now he offers services like "Sexual Orientation Check." Truly disgusting.
Together, we will drive the rats from the tundra.
In many ways, the article and various /. comments made here are a great reminder of exactly how much personal data some of us even WILLINGLY put out there on the web. It's not that way for everyone, but I'm sure plenty of /. users, for example, have done enough stuff on the net that someone could put together a pretty good profile of the person from a Google search and some simple digging into what's found there, without having to go into anything fancy.
Heck, I'm just thinking about what I've done, and wonder how much someone could pull up about me from everything I've made available. It's a little strange to think about.
"You know your god is man-made when he hates all the same people you do."
(Posting as AC for privacy reasons.)
1) Jay Patel is an alias for Sanjay Amin. (More on this in a bit)
2) Sanjay Amin started out a company called Entropy Systems, which offered a perpetual motion machine to paying customers. This was after he defaulted from school loans at the University of Minnesota. (He left the university and the state due to some disagreements with the university about his engine)
3) Using the millions of dollars he bilked out of various people and organizations primarily in the Youngstown area, Entropy Systems disappeared and became www.abika.com, a site that offered free eBooks. See the Wired article for details about the transition.
4) After deciding that free eBooks weren't very profitable, Abika.com went through various transformations until it made it to its current state of being a background investigation website.
5) To avoid connections with his questionable past, Mr. Amin now goes by the name Jay Patel.
6) Abika.com sells a combination of reports from an astrology CD-ROM that Mr. Amin has, plus actual reports from private investigators that he re-sells (without a license).
So how about that, Sanjay? How do you like your privacy now?