Naked in Cyberspace: How to Find Personal Information Online (2nd edition)

Citation

Sen, B. (2003), "Naked in Cyberspace: How to Find Personal Information Online (2nd edition)", New Library World, Vol. 104 No. 6, pp. 240-240. https://doi.org/10.1108/nlw.2003.104.6.240.1

The aim of this book is to highlight the vulnerability of the human being in today’s cyber‐society. It lays bare the issues of personal privacy and the ease of which personal details can be accessed, names, addresses, family details, company business, house value, tax situation, personal interests, past criminal records, a host of information that our lives have generated.

The book is organised in four sections. Section one gives a very general overview on personal records, what might be found in databases and how to set about finding personal information, including some sample searches.

Section two looks at how personal records might be legitimately used, and covers such issues as recruitment, private investigation and employment screening.

Section three looks at the type of personnel records that might be available in a wide range of resource such as simple telephone directories, death records and medical records.

Section four widens the scope of the information search and gives lists of useful books, journals and organisations categorised by subject or geographic area. An extensive 100‐page appendix gives even more sources.

The problem with this type of book is that immediately the book is published many of the Web sites details are out‐of‐date. To get around this problem, a Web site of regularly updated sources is available at www.technosearch.com/naked/diretory.htm This Web site is a good resource. It perhaps lacks sophistication in its appearance, but it works and has a wealth of links which follow the layout of the written text chapter‐by‐chapter.

The book is at a suitable level for the novice researcher on an introductory level and yet still contains useful tips and ideas for the experienced researcher. The very heavy US focus will be a definite down side for some readers. The legal issues and record systems described are in the majority American, though the appendices include resources of an international nature.

Taking the “naked” metaphor a stage further, then skinny‐dipping in this book is definitely the best approach as opposed to going the “full length”, cover to cover. I read the book through and it was a tedious approach to take. I found myself switching off as I drowned in list upon list of sources, resources and sites, most of which are not relevant to UK residents.

No doubt this is a useful text for information brokers in the USA, who need to research personal records fairly regularly, but otherwise the book may have limited interest.