Names Database
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Names Database is a controversial social network, owned and operated by Classmates Online, the parent company of Classmates.com. Unlike most social networks, it requires that new registrations include five email addresses. The site checks immediately checks the validity of the addresses, disallowing fraudulent information. The database has become the source of controversy, for some people consider its data collecting as privacy and ethical violations.
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[edit] Ownership and operations
While it is owned by Classmates Online, the Names Database is kept under a separate web name. To obtain full access to the site, users must submit more than 20 e-mail addresses or buy a US$12 subscription. As of 10th of October, 2006, the site boasts "30 million users."
[edit] Acquisition by Classmates Online
The company was acquired by Classmates.com for $10 million in March 2006, transferring responsibility and duties to a larger company. The database had about 20 million users at the time of sale, meaning the email addresses were bought for about 50 cents per user. Despite the acquisition, the site still relies on word of mouth and friend referrals to grow.
[edit] Membership and expansion
To initially access the database, one must supply five valid email addresses, usually belonging to friends or family. After registration, the names of all people in the database are fully searchable. However, contact with these members is limited until 25 addresses are supplied or a subscription fee is paid. As of October 2006, subscriptions can be purchased for one or three year periods. A non-searchable static version of the database is also available, which lists names and high school affiliations.
The word of mouth method operation of the database has caused it to grow rapidly. In 2006, the home page reported a membership of over 30 million. Additionally, the database contains information about more than 50 million people, ranging from world leaders to high school students.
[edit] Record removal
The site provides option of removing one's listing in the database. The removal process does indeed remove all information from the static database. However, the remove link has been reported to be hard to locate. After submitting a removal request, records can remain online for up to seven days. Visit https://namesdatabase.com/support.pl and select: "Your Information - Removing" to delete your account.
[edit] Privacy risk
Many people feel that the data collection policies of Names Database could potentially be used for spamming. These accusations of unsolicited mailings have not been confirmed, however. There is also some concern about the posting of the personal information of children, though the site forbids such actions.
