So on this visit, I started asking questions.īut it only took a couple minutes for her to become absorbed in storytelling, and I spent the next three hours riveted. Besides that being the most depressing fact of all time, it was also a jarring wake-up call that a treasure trove of rich and detailed information about my family’s past exists in one and only one place-an 89-year-old brain-and if I kept dicking around, most of that information would be lost forever.
We can use google to learn anything we want about world history and our country’s history, but our own personal history-which we really should know quite well-can only be accessed by asking questions.ĭuring my visit, Nana referred to herself as “the last of the Mohicans,” meaning basically everyone she spent her life with is dead-her husband, siblings, cousins, and friends are all gone. We’re all incredibly self-absorbed, and in being so, we forget to care about the context of the lives we’re so immersed in. I don’t know you, but I can almost guarantee that you don’t ask your grandparents (or older parents) enough questions about their lives and the lives of their parents. But I also used the visit as an opportunity to do something I have not done nearly enough in my life-ask her questions about our family. I visited Nana recently and went through the usual activities-talking about myself in a loud voice, fixing her “broken machine” by unminimizing the internet browser window, being told to slow down Timothy and get in the left lane, even though the turn is still a half mile ahead. Other databases, such as Lexis/Nexis, allow users with paid subscriptions to look up similar forms of information.I have one living grandparent-my father’s mother, who’s 89. But as points out, it is neither the first nor the only site to dispense personal information for public consumption: Websites such as Intelius and Spokeo offer similar services, but those carry a charge for the information. Google records list a person of same name as the founder of a dating site, DateHookUp, which has drawn unverified complaints by users on a site called RipOff Review.ĭespite the innocuous “FamilyTree” designation, the site warns that users might be shocked at some of the information that comes up. The Washington Post reports that the owner of the site is Dustin Weirich, a Sacramento entrepreneur who did not respond to an emailed request for comment about his business. The site’s “About” page states that was launched in 2014 by some technology veterans who like taking services that typically cost money and making them free. And as Money magazine points out, it is unclear whether your information is deleted or merely hidden. People whose information appears on the website can supposedly “opt out” of having their information displayed, but the site says it may take up to 48 hours to remove the information. The searches are provided for free, and a user doesn’t even have to register.īut the site does not specifically target law enforcement, notes, although anyone who knows enough about a police officer could potentially retrieve more information about that person.įortune magazine reports that many on Twitter have pointed out that poses a personal safety risk, especially to those who have been in abusive relationships or work in sensitive professions. The site then pulls up information about the named person from public records, such as age, month and year of birth, immediate family members and “associates,” and past and current addresses. The website,, allows users to look up a person by name, address or city. The facts: A warning to law enforcement officers was posted on the Facebook page “Survive the Streets: A Page for Cops,” saying “The amount of info and the accuracy of it is terrifying.” A website allows anyone to look up the personal information of police officers, which can be used for nefarious purposes.
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