Consumer Privacy Alert - Amazon "Wish Lists"

[file83]

This is something that I just discovered. I'm writing this because I thought I was very careful about my "online identity". Boy, was I in for a shocker. If you shop at Amazon, you might want to double check your account settings after reading this.

So I'm applying for jobs and Googled my name to make sure there wasn't anything out there on the "internets" that might make potential employers frown (I have a very unique name). I had contacted all the websites where in the past 5 years I may have signed something with my basic real name (Like the thank you page for Colbert at the White House correspondents dinner) and asked them to change it (they all did!). It took a few weeks to clear all the Google results - I was looking squeaky clean, as far as that was concerned. But then...

I tried my extended name including my middle initial and I was in for a BIG surprise. A single result came back from Amazon.com which resulted in my reading "Wish List". This reading list had all kinds of politically charged (liberal!) books on the list. It was like having my library reading list on open record for the whole world to see!

The good news is that I was able to delete the wish list completely and immediately by going into my Amazon account settings.

I'm not sure if that setting was set automatically when I started the account or not. I remember marking the books for easy reference later on if I wanted to buy them, but NEVER in a MILLION years would I have clicked on an option to make the list "public". Holy crap.

Anyway, just thought I'd let you fellow DU'rs in on this little tidbit to protect you from political discrimination in the job hiring process.

[Silent3]

1. You might still want to check and make sure...

That Google or other search engines don't have the old page cached. Another small possibility to be concerned with is that it's saved by the "Way Back Machine" at www.archive.org.

At any rate, that's quite a surprise -- I'd never have guessed that would be publicly accessible either.

[file83]

6. Yeah, I checked. It's good that Google didn't cache it - probably for this very reason.

Either that or the lists change so often that they saw no reason to cache them.

[Rabrrrrrr]

2. The Amazon wish list has always been public - that's its purpose

so people could look you up and know what books you want and buy them for you for gifts. So I don't think Amazon was doing untoward.

but still, it's a good warning to people who are worried not just about privacy, but about spying from employers, potential employers, ex spouses/SOs, and so forth, to make sure they leave as little footprint as possible on the Internets.

I'm glad you were able to fix everything and get your name removed from places.

It's sad we have to worry about such trivial shit.

[jpgray]

7. I would almost run for office, just so internet detectives could "toss my cookies", so to speak

They'd find bizarre and hilarious stuff in there, no doubt, considering my ex roommates and their internet habits. :scared:

[GeorgeGist]

3. Rather sad that ...

you have to hide yourself to get a job working for people who won't respect you.

[LiberalHeart]

4. I don't know if this is still the case at Amazon, but...

...I recall a setting they had available a few years ago that allowed you to make your identity known to "friends" but not the general public, or you could make it public, or you could use a nickname. If you made it know to friends, they'd know what gifts you'd like to receive.

[file83]

5. Yeah they have those options too.

It's one of those things that totally caught me off guard though.