tag:www.peoplesmart.com,2010-11-15:/blog//6 2012-01-17T21:20:33Z The Official PeopleSmart Blog Movable Type Pro 5.12 peoplesmarthttp://feedburner.google.com tag:www.peoplesmart.com,2012:/blog//6.1074 2012-01-17T16:38:10Z 2012-01-17T21:20:33Z

Yesterday, we shared how to control your privacy settings with Facebook's Timeline. Today, we have more privacy tips for social networking--but now it's Google that's delivering an interesting new feature that brings with it a few privacy concerns. Earlier this week, Google rolled out Social Search, which aims to provide more personally relevant search results. In addition to the standard search results, Social Search includes search results from your online connections, Google+ profiles, and other social sites.

Chelsea Shover
Earlier this week, Google rolled out Social Search, which aims to provide more personally relevant search results. In addition to the standard search results, Social Search includes search results from your online connections, Google+ profiles, and other social sites. ]]> tag:www.peoplesmart.com,2012:/blog//6.1069 2012-01-12T23:00:48Z 2012-01-12T23:18:29Z

Facebook may face the Federal Trade Commission over yet another privacy concern. This time, it's about Timeline. Timeline is the name for Facebook's new design that presents a user's shared information in a chronological, scrollable format that is arguably more aesthetically pleasing and definitely more exposed. The Electronic Privacy Information Center is asking the FTC to examine how Timeline alters a user's privacy settings and Facebook handles privacy through obscurity. Privacy through obscurity refers to the idea that data is more secure if it is more difficult to access.

Chelsea Shover Timeline. Timeline is the name for Facebook's new design that presents a user's shared information in a chronological, scrollable format that is arguably more aesthetically pleasing and definitely more exposed.

The Electronic Privacy Information Center is asking the FTC to examine how Timeline alters a user's privacy settings and Facebook handles privacy through obscurity. Privacy through obscurity refers to the idea that data is more secure if it is more difficult to access.]]> tag:www.peoplesmart.com,2012:/blog//6.1067 2012-01-09T23:37:09Z 2012-01-10T00:55:52Z

This morning PeopleSmart's parent company Inflection announced the addition of Peter Merholz as Vice President of User Experience. Our user experience team is dedicated to making our sites intuitive and enjoyable for our customers to use. Peter, with his expertise in all things user experience, will be vital to identifying and implementing further enhancements. User experience is a high priority for PeopleSmart. In recent months, we've updated the site's design and functionality in a number of small ways that make it even easier to find the information you seek.

Chelsea Shover
User experience is a high priority for PeopleSmart. In recent months, we've updated the site's design and functionality in a number of small ways that make it even easier to find the information you seek.]]> tag:www.peoplesmart.com,2012:/blog//6.1064 2012-01-09T18:30:14Z 2012-01-09T18:40:03Z

Inflection, parent company to PeopleSmart and other leading websites, is excited to announce that Peter Merholz will join the team as Vice President of User Experience. Co-founder of Adaptive Path, a premier user experience consulting firm, Peter brings over 15 years of experience in web design and interactive media. He joins a number of outstanding recent additions to the Inflection leadership team. As VP of User Experience, Peter will lead the User Experience team at Inflection. "While my primary responsibility is to lead a world-class user experience team," Peter said, "I see my real job as encouraging a company-wide mindset around holistic customer experience

Julie Hill http://www.archives.com/experts/ Inflection, parent company to PeopleSmart and other leading websites, is excited to announce that Peter Merholz will join the team as Vice President of User Experience. Co-founder of Adaptive Path, a premier user experience consulting firm, Peter brings over 15 years of experience in web design and interactive media. He joins a number of outstanding recent additions to the Inflection leadership team.

As VP of User Experience, Peter will lead the User Experience team at Inflection. "While my primary responsibility is to lead a world-class user experience team," Peter said, "I see my real job as encouraging a company-wide mindset around holistic customer experience]]> tag:www.peoplesmart.com,2012:/blog//6.1060 2012-01-04T17:27:30Z 2012-01-04T18:08:37Z

We've added new information to PeopleSmart, and we wanted to share it with you. Recently, we updated the information for each State's Court Agency page in our public records database. This is where you can go to find information about retrieving public records from a state's court office. One of the challenges of working with public records is that many are not yet digitized. So, if you need a copy of your birth certificate, or want to verify certain court records, you might need to order a physical copy. Our Court Agency pages will be an important tool for researchers, especially those dealing with records in multiple states.

Chelsea Shover
One of the challenges of working with public records is that many are not yet digitized. So, if you need a copy of your birth certificate, or want to verify certain court records, you might need to order a physical copy. Our Court Agency pages will be an important tool for researchers, especially those dealing with records in multiple states.

]]> tag:www.peoplesmart.com,2011:/blog//6.948 2011-12-23T01:25:42Z 2012-01-04T23:00:56Z

Have you ever called someone, only to find that the person on the other end of the line wasn't who you were expecting? If it wasn't misdialed number, chances are, you reached one of the millions of telephone users with a recycled phone number. According to a recent report by the Federal Communications Commission, every year, nearly 37 million phone numbers are recycled. This means that a new subscriber is given a phone number that previously belonged to someone else. The standard waiting time for reassigning a number is one year for businesses and 90 days for personal numbers, but with an increasing amount of mobile phone users, the window is becoming shorter.

Chelsea Shover
According to a recent report by the Federal Communications Commission, every year, nearly 37 million phone numbers are recycled. This means that a new subscriber is given a phone number that previously belonged to someone else. The standard waiting time for reassigning a number is one year for businesses and 90 days for personal numbers, but with an increasing amount of mobile phone users, the window is becoming shorter. ]]> tag:www.peoplesmart.com,2011:/blog//6.951 2011-12-15T20:55:51Z 2011-12-15T22:02:40Z

Inflection, an innovative and industry-leading people search startup, has today announced the release of Numbers+ for the iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch. Built to streamline and simplify exchanging contact information with others, Numbers+ utilizes a secure database of contact records to circumvent the typically tedious process of adding new contacts. Users simply write in their new contact's name or number and the app does the rest, retrieving full contact profiles in seconds! No more typing in names, numbers, and extra information. Numbers+ is currently available as a free download on the Apple App Store in the Social Networking and Utilities categories.

Julie Hill http://www.archives.com/experts/ Inflection, an innovative and industry-leading people search startup, has today announced the release of Numbers+ for the iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch. Built to streamline and simplify exchanging contact information with others, Numbers+ utilizes a secure database of contact records to circumvent the typically tedious process of adding new contacts. Users simply write in their new contact's name or number and the app does the rest, retrieving full contact profiles in seconds! No more typing in names, numbers, and extra information. Numbers+ is currently available as a free download on the Apple App Store in the Social Networking and Utilities categories. tag:www.peoplesmart.com,2011:/blog//6.942 2011-12-07T19:10:59Z 2011-12-07T19:55:59Z

It's that time of year again--time for year round identity thieves to pick up their holiday bonuses in the form of victims who are too busy or too giving to guard themselves against identity theft. Holiday scams can be enough to turn even the jolliest shopper into a scrooge, but you can protect yourself, and your holiday spirit. Brush up on the common schemes identity thieves use during the holidays, and learn what you can do to avoid becoming a victim.

Chelsea Shover It's that time of year again--time for year round identity thieves to pick up their holiday bonuses in the form of victims who are too busy or too giving to guard themselves against identity theft. Holiday scams can be enough to turn even the jolliest shopper into a scrooge, but you can protect yourself, and your holiday spirit. Brush up on the common schemes identity thieves use during the holidays, and learn what you can do to avoid becoming a victim. tag:www.peoplesmart.com,2011:/blog//6.903 2011-11-30T21:09:45Z 2011-11-30T22:09:27Z

Recently, Jim Dempsey of the Center for Democracy and Technology (CDT) stopped by our office to give a presentation over lunch about current privacy issues, privacy legislation, and the importance of "privacy by design." Jim is an authority in the space, having been with CDT since 1997, and is currently serving as the Vice President for Public Policy. He also shared some of the projects the CDT is working on and answered questions from our team. PeopleSmart takes privacy seriously, always seeking to stay up-to-date on the latest issues, and incorporating innovate privacy controls into our website.

Chelsea Shover Center for Democracy and Technology (CDT) stopped by our office to give a presentation over lunch about current privacy issues, privacy legislation, and the importance of "privacy by design." Jim is an authority in the space, having been with CDT since 1997, and is currently serving as the Vice President for Public Policy. He also shared some of the projects the CDT is working on and answered questions from our team. PeopleSmart takes privacy seriously, always seeking to stay up-to-date on the latest issues, and incorporating innovate privacy controls into our website.

]]> tag:www.peoplesmart.com,2011:/blog//6.910 2011-11-24T01:09:55Z 2011-11-24T01:27:27Z

In this post we'd like to feature another way that PeopleSmart.com thinks thoughtfully about privacy issues. Social Security Numbers, which we guard carefully while we're alive, become public record after death. The United States government compiles a Social Security Death Index (SSDI) based on the deaths reported to the Social Security Administration. The SSDI contains Social Security Numbers for the deceased individuals in the file, which today includes about 95% of deaths in the U.S. The SSDI is an important source for public record data for genealogists and people searching for old classmates, distant relatives, and the like.

Chelsea Shover
Social Security Numbers, which we guard carefully while we're alive, become public record after death. The United States government compiles a Social Security Death Index (SSDI) based on the deaths reported to the Social Security Administration. The SSDI contains Social Security Numbers for the deceased individuals in the file, which today includes about 95% of deaths in the U.S.

The SSDI is an important source for public record data for genealogists and people searching for old classmates, distant relatives, and the like. ]]> tag:www.peoplesmart.com,2011:/blog//6.893 2011-10-31T23:37:48Z 2011-10-31T23:46:42Z

Recently, the Electronic Communications Privacy Act turned 25. Originally drafted in the Reagan administration, it aimed to protect citizens from government surveillance and provide people with the same sense of security they have with physical documents. The ECPA protects communication during transit and for a certain amount of time in storage. This was fine when the main threat to personal privacy was wiretapping (as it was when the ECPA was signed into law), but the ECPA wasn't written with online storage and email in mind. Because of the way internet technologies have evolved since 1986, under the ECPA there are certain situations where the government doesn't need a warrant to access the emails, photos, and other documents you store online.

Chelsea Shover turned 25. Originally drafted in the Reagan administration, it aimed to protect citizens from government surveillance and provide people with the same sense of security they have with physical documents. The ECPA protects communication during transit and for a certain amount of time in storage.

This was fine when the main threat to personal privacy was wiretapping (as it was when the ECPA was signed into law), but the ECPA wasn't written with online storage and email in mind. Because of the way internet technologies have evolved since 1986, under the ECPA there are certain situations where the government doesn't need a warrant to access the emails, photos, and other documents you store online. ]]> tag:www.peoplesmart.com,2011:/blog//6.884 2011-10-27T20:26:59Z 2011-10-27T22:23:37Z

The topic of online privacy has been in the news lately. A lot. We think it's important that people understand the privacy options available to them, and stay in-the-know about how the websites they use the most handle privacy. Two of the most used websites in the world, Facebook and Google, came under fire recently for privacy encroachments. But they have also been lauded for recent enhancements. To keep you up-to-date, here are some of the latest developments. Recently, Google launched Good to Know, a privacy portal.

Chelsea Shover
Recently, Google launched Good to Know, a privacy portal.]]> tag:www.peoplesmart.com,2011:/blog//6.881 2011-10-21T20:35:19Z 2011-10-27T21:54:59Z

Tomorrow is 'Secure Your Identity Day,' sponsored by the Better Business Bureau. BBB locations around the country will be holding "shred days" for people to securely dispose of documents containing sensitive identity information. Check here to see if there's one in your area. This little known holiday provides a great opportunity to educate yourself about sources of identity theft. You've probably heard of some of them before, but with new scams making headlines all the time, it can't hurt to know the difference between a phisher and a skimmer and a hacker and a spammer.

Chelsea Shover here to see if there's one in your area.

This little known holiday provides a great opportunity to educate yourself about sources of identity theft. You've probably heard of some of them before, but with new scams making headlines all the time, it can't hurt to know the difference between a phisher and a skimmer and a hacker and a spammer.

]]> tag:www.peoplesmart.com,2011:/blog//6.879 2011-10-20T22:33:12Z 2011-10-25T17:04:33Z

When Jeff Jarvis' new book Public Parts hit the shelves recently, we were intrigued. He takes a unique view of the privacy debate, arguing that "publicness" needs to be defended alongside of privacy. At PeopleSmart, this important balance is never far from our minds and we welcome new and interesting points of view that contribute this topic. Below we've summarized some of our most notable takeaways from the book. Jarvis makes it clear that he's primarily trying to spark a discussion, rather than convert others to the kind of radical publicness he spends much of the book highlighting.

Chelsea Shover Public Parts hit the shelves recently, we were intrigued. He takes a unique view of the privacy debate, arguing that "publicness" needs to be defended alongside of privacy. At PeopleSmart, this important balance is never far from our minds and we welcome new and interesting points of view that contribute this topic. Below we've summarized some of our most notable takeaways from the book.

Jarvis makes it clear that he's primarily trying to spark a discussion, rather than convert others to the kind of radical publicness he spends much of the book highlighting.]]> tag:www.peoplesmart.com,2011:/blog//6.878 2011-10-14T23:18:37Z 2011-10-27T22:00:02Z

On Tuesday we shared a bit about the history of the phonebook and the technological features that make PeopleSmart a "phonebook for the 21st century." Today, we're looking to history again, this time to a Supreme Court decision that made it possible to build a national virtual phonebook. In this post, we describe how copyright laws that once protected telephone book monopolies were overturned by a key Supreme Court decision. This decision, and the new legal doctrine it established eventually created the conditions that would make PeopleSmart possible. We'll explain why, without this decision, we never could have made a virtual phonebook, much less one that includes a broad range of public records.

Chelsea Shover Tuesday we shared a bit about the history of the phonebook and the technological features that make PeopleSmart a "phonebook for the 21st century." Today, we're looking to history again, this time to a Supreme Court decision that made it possible to build a national virtual phonebook. In this post, we describe how copyright laws that once protected telephone book monopolies were overturned by a key Supreme Court decision. This decision, and the new legal doctrine it established eventually created the conditions that would make PeopleSmart possible. We'll explain why, without this decision, we never could have made a virtual phonebook, much less one that includes a broad range of public records. ]]> ]]>