At a basic level they're just doing the same thing that a large number of other companies are already doing. What bothers me is that, according to the article, they dodged the question about whether or not what they're doing and how they go about it is right. Essentially, "It's legal (at least for now) so why bother about what's best for the country, individuals, etc." Why bother with ethics when a dollar can be made?

My two cents.

When Zabasearch claims "we're just doing what others are doing," they are basically lying and referring to THEMSELVES, since they were one of the FIRST PEOPLESEARCH companies around. That's how Nick Matzorkis made his first several MILLION $ ! (By selling private people's life-details behind their backs, in his company called USPEOPLESEARCH.)

The guys running Zabasearch are truly sleazy--marvelously so! Just go do a search in Google for a little "background check" on these guys. Your mind will swoon and stomach will churn...

These creeps make everyone's private information available online (we found some vital info that was more than 3 decades old MINGLED WITH active, current info in a way to jeopardize the safety of someone we know!), and yet THEY themselves are very sneaky and slippery and hard to pin down: Are they in Atlanta, GA? Salinas, CA? Los Angeles? Austin, TX? All of the above? None of the above?

Why isn't GODADDY shutting them down for publishing phone/useless Contact Info in the WHOIS registry?

The Calif. Attorney General will accept complaints from people who feel violated and at risk because of what Zabasearch has done and is doing with people's private information.

Here is a web-site that's attempting to put pressure on Zabasearch to STOP this outrageous peddling of other people's private information in a global venue, where every nutcase on the planet has access to information that can and will put many at risk for real harm:

http://stopzaba.atspace.com

Love that "Talk to the Hand" logo--- Only wish, in Zabasearch's case, it were ANOTHER part of the anatomy! (smile)

Personal Data Search Engines(PDSEs) are taking advantage of several factors: Social Engineering, Data Mining, and a cloudy legal area. Due to the lack of borders on the internet and a poor public understanding of personal information on the internet PDSEs can data mine much more information about a person than the average user realizes. Most phone books are published on the web now and simple exploits of the Google-web API means PDSEs can get at this information with more ease than they should. Making connections with locality (phone book) data is trivial as people fill out MSN messenger profiles, ICQ profiles, web forum profiles, and domain name information in an unwise fashion. In the end, reforms are necessary on a broad scale in the legal and social areas. In short, I would say zaba is exploiting people's with exquisite detail. What they don't realize is this is not necessary or wise as this information resides in plain sight. As identity theft and internet based crime increases clearly legislation is necessary. Privacy legislation should be there to protect you but at some point broad based education is also necessary. The problem is less about the legislation of data privacy and more about a lack of knowledge in the hands of the people. I will admit to a certain amount of discomfort at the ease with which a 'Background Check' can be obtained. Another issue would be personal data validity.

Well, well!

It took a while, but we dug up, at last, a WORKING PHONE NUMBER FOR ROBERT ZAKARI, the S.O.B. who, in cahoots with that other scumbag Nick Matzorkis, has published our private info on the WORLDWIDE internet for every psycho to access (at Zabasearch.com)!!

HERE IS HOW TO CONTACT ROBERT ZAKARI AND VOICE YOUR OUTRAGE:

Zakari & Associates
135 N Los Robles Ave #850
Pasadena, CA 91101

Phone Number
(626)564-2900
e-mail: rzakari@zakarilaw.com

Please give him a call TODAY and tell him to stop publishing your private information. Please be sure to send him a few billion emails, while you are at it, so he learns how it feels to have one's private info disseminated against one's will in a worldwide venue!

Thanks and have fun!
___________________

PS A chilling thought: You don't suppose this Robert Zakari jerk is related to terrorist leader Abu Musab al Zakari?!?!?!

It's nice that Mr. Z & company live in a cyberworld where everything is just fine & dandy, & open to everyone. After a local newscast about ZABA, I realized where an ex-bf previously got a lot of info about me (which he volunteered later that came over the Internet).

Nice, Mr. Z & friends, except I'm a mental health professional who works with clients who have sometimes in the past either threatened my life or well being. Although I know some info can be retrieved over the internet, this just makes it easier for someone to find my address & stalk me.

Maybe Mr. Z & friends should just go shopping with the profits they get from their stupid, intrusive website & forget about people who work in dangerous situations and would like just a small margin of privacy and protection.

I'm thinking of changing my professional name when I change jobs bcs there is serious stuff out there that Mr. Z & company seem to comfortably ignore.

Another question - why is it so hard to email them directly?

You guys are a bunch of nut cases with too much time on your hands. The information ZabaSearch has is available at intelius.com, ussearch.com, peoplesearch.com, peoplefinders.com, knowx.com and many many other web sites. Go busy yourself doing something else. You attack ZabaSearch and all you're doing is helping to promote them. Attacking nick matzorkis and robert zakari makes you worse than them. You guys should be ashamed of yourselves for acting like such asses. You act like these are the only two guys in this business. You are being silly and naive. You obviously don't understand the how widely available your information has been for as long as you've been alive. Welcome to the Ineternet, Newbies.

It is sad to see that these companies would put people's safety at risk to make money. I was attacked on the street and managed to run away, but the attacker has my bag, and my name. It is terrefying to me to see that despite changing my location and address, he could follow me.

I noticed how mr. zakari is not listed in zabasearch himself. what a scumbag. he's far worse than all the spammers in the world.

Has anyone thought about what a stalker could do with this? Imagine if someone posted on YOUR blog:

When is person x home alone?
Does he have a cell phone?
Does he carry a gun?
If something happened to him, how long before the neighbors notice?

If someone asked those questions around your neighborhood, residents might get a little suspicious. How will Zaba prevent criminal activity?