Oh Internet, Internet on the screen; who is the fairest of them all?

A "vanity" search for myself really didn't produce any super surprising results. I am on the internet alright. Mostly, by my own choosing. With one exception, the information I found about myself on the Intelius website.

How they gather this information, I dont't know. Does it come from public records that anyone can access? Did it bother me that it was on their website? A little I suppose. Are these background service companies another example of the privatization of governmental entities? Before companies like Intelius came along, who would a company call when they wanted to run a background check? Are these companies regulated by the government? And if so, how. Do they run background checks on companies requesting their services? How they protect this information from hackers? If they don't protect this information properly, and it does get hacked, what consequences will Intelius pay? So many questions, so little time!

Unfortunately, I am currently too busy to answer all these questions myself. However, if someone else happens to stumble across this blog and can answer any or all of these questions I look forward to your reply.

Changing gears, I see similarities between how involved people are in the real world with how easily they can be found on the internet. The more involved you are in the community, extra-curricular groups and/or organizations the more likely your name will be located on the web. I also noticed that younger people and academic types are more likely to found on the web. If you have a more common name, the greater the likelihood your identity will be "camouflaged" by others with the same name. Depending on whether or not you want to be found that could be a good or bad thing. In conclusion, while we have control over what personal information we put about ourselves on the internet, unfortunately we are not the only ones with that power anymore.