Are YOU being hunted? Find out with 192 (192.com)

Member Name: Pinotage

Product:	192.com
Date:	20/01/01 (99 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Quickly find people - and find out who is looking for you.

Disadvantages: limited searching capability without paying

192.com lets you search through telephone book databases and electoral registers. If you know a person's name you can find their address and telephone number - and more. At the simplest level it is a wonderful free alternative to BT's directory enquiries service and a quick easy way to track down long lost friends and family.

But supposing you are the subject of the search? Most other reviewers have remarked that the person doing the search may not have honourable motives. There are nutters and stalkers out there, not to mention ex-lovers and enemies.

That is why I strongly recommend you go and register at 192.com. You can tick a box when you register to automatically get an email whenever someone searches for you. The mail details the searcher's name, their email address and their IP address. This is what the notification looks like:

"This message is sent to you from 192.com because your account data matches record requested from our database by this user:

Name: Alan Q. Smithie
Postcode: SW1 4RZ
Country: United Kingdom
E-mail: smithie@burbankmail.com

IP address: 182.203.99.43
Date/Time: 19 January 2001 17:33

You may check full search log by going to http://www.192.com"

When you register you can optionally give information that could be the subject of a search, including facts that might not be publicly available, for instance if you are ex-directory you can list your telephone number. If someone searches for that number they will not get any hits but you will still be notified that someone searched for that number. Registered details are kept confidential; they are not added to 192.com's searchable databases.

192.com is very impressive. You need to try it to see just how much information you can quickly find. A work colleague mentioned his hometown in conversation, I entered his name and town into 192.com and when he p
aused for breath I surprised him with his home address, telephone number and wife's name. And that is with the free service.

It is not infallible. It couldn't find a friend who isn't on the electoral register living in a house where the phone is in someone else's name, but if he had registered he'd know I was looking for him.

There are many more powerful features, such as getting all the details of people living in a postcode, or neighbours of a target. You have to pay for these. There are silver and gold levels of service giving increasing power and flexibility at prices to match.

You cannot stop people searching for your details, but by registering with 192.com you will be warned when someone is looking for you.



(note: Alan Smithie and all his details are fictitious)

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