Just a random thought.
Say we complain to a company about their product or service. Would it be OK for the consultant to research us, find us on Facebook, linkedin, etc. Why? For example, the information is used to help them formulate plan to reply.
Would we be able to prove it?
If you have a gripe with how you're treated, escalate to management or if its affecting service, go to the relevant ombudsman. You're not going to be able to prove they've googled you anyways. It might feel unpleasant but other than personal OpSec there's not much you can do
"Sure:
Story—question"
That brush off does not add up.
In your post you go from what you said in sentence one to 'the consultant' in sentence 2.
Suss,IMO.
who cares. either answer or don't
Would be seen as bad form for a company to reply in such a manner. More often, they'll point out previous review history if highly negative, or point out if you weren't a customer
Totally illegal. Go straight to jail. You can't pass go and collect $200.
Does it matter if you can or can't collect $200? $200 would be lucky to buy you a chupa chup these days.
But everyone does it.
Its in the public domain
And they get a FREE GET OUT OF JAIL pass every time.
I like how you changed things up and replied to the third comment instead of the first one.
I have no story so no reply to first comment
And I see you have nothing to contribute at all so why comment?
Is it legal to look up publicly available information? I am going with yes.
If Google indexes it, it's public. You'd be amazed what you can find out on a deep dive of even a minor public figure just with Google. Won't be long now until we have an AI that can dig all that info up and create a dirty profile of people, even bring up contradictions like a quote of politicians slamming investment properties next to public filings of their spouse owning 20 houses.
Surely this is a case of username checks out!
I worked in debt collection for 4 years and it still surprises me how much you find from googling info.
Cute dogs Adam :p
Did you just search “olddataguy” as the search query in google?
@Worf: I did. That's how I found some guy called Adam on Facebook and a photo of two dogos.
I am Batman, world's greatest dective!
sorry what do you mean here, connected to the public Internet, the network that was designed for free information exchange??
or are you talking about your private files etc
Look up? Yes, and the question is bizarre.
Store in some sort of creepy anti-customer dirt file? Quite possibly contrary to the National Privacy Principles depending on the company.
If you're worried about getting doxxed/swatted / some other form of revenge why not just make a totally fake profile?
burner email
burner number
burner profile
And also don't mention any unique experiences. Make your comments vague.
Illegal since September 3, 1998.
Legal since September 4, 1998.
so not after 11 sep 2001?
Say we complain to a company about their product or service
if your complaint was legitimate, what issue would you have with them knowing information thats google-able?
perhaps they get multiple fake reviews/complaints etc so their standard procedure is to at least sanity check that the person making the complaint is legit, not fake/bot etc, and not some crazy whacko that leaves 100 fake reviews everywhere.
Unless you're a bot or a fake review crazy whako, seems it would be beneficial for the company to understand that you're a 'real' person with an issue that they should address
Why do you have all that detail out there that random people can find out then? Me, I stay away from all the social media platforms so you get almost nothing if you Google my real name.
Whats yr real name
@try2bhelpful: Whatever you do, don't tell the people on Ozbargain that they can make gold from straw. It'll be gone before you can blink
@moar bargains: It certainly would make me popular. Although the average city dweller is likely to have gold rather than straw.
Don't use your real name or any identifiable screen name as your Google account, or any account. If you use OldDataGuy on all your accounts for years then I could start telling you about yourself, quoting things to you that you said on random forums 20 years ago.
I just use JV everywhere
Worried about privacy, then don't put such info online.
If the complaint officer called you back, shouldn't you be happy that your complaint is being heard.
You know where the company is, what they sell, what their ABN is.
hey already know your job, your cultural background, what you studied, your favourite colour, age, sex,
I doubt they'd have this as a result of Google, unless you have a zero thought to information privacy. As another Old Data Guy, they're not going to find this about me via Google or LinkedIn.
Are you sure you're using the right username?
A company isn't going to arse around with this for a 'complaint' but your data is being aggregated by someone else for marketing purposes.
Sounds like a you problem Data Guy
Welcome to being a TPG customer
It's not only that "you don't like it". You said that "the information is used to help them formulate plan to reply".
It does not seem realistic though. Please give a good example. Why does it matter whether the consultant knows everything about you or nothing? What matters are: 1) the problem is real; 2) they are able and willing to address the problem.
your job, your cultural background, what you studied, your favourite colour, age, sex
Sure, there will be that doubt in their mind, “Sure he’s been acquitted several times, but maybe he really did do it”, then the fear kicks in and they give me what I want, and I get a free strawberry blossom air freshener with every service.
Good, that saves a lot of time. Ever had to punch in your account number then repeat it to a human two seconds later? It’s the same as when they say they’d record your convo for training purposes, I’m always like ‘Well you better!’
Is It Legal/Ethical for Companies to Google Their Customers?
Yes
Legal? Yes.
Ethical? There are no ethics anymore.They will die with the boomers.
ha ha, boomers are the last generation who have any ethics. ha ha ha.
exactly what I said. Pay-a-bloody-tention
At least boomers understood sarcasm.
Gen X has ethics too
ethics is available to everyone, but (most) these days ppl prefer greed and self
What makes you even think that it might be illegal or unethical to Google someone? I'm sure you've done it many times before yourself. I've done it many times myself too.
Do people sit there and hope that, anything that isn't in their favour, is illegal and/or unethical? lol
.
Seems perfectly fine to me. If you have an issue with it then make your profile's private, or better yet delete them altogether that way these companies are oblivious to who they are dealing with.
You use Google etc to leave a review for them and you expect them to not use Google etc for vice versa?
Once it's on the internet it's fair game.
OzBargain users search through other users old comments all the time to try and catch them out so I guess…ethical?
Your social media platforms are already scraping your data to target you with ads. If you leave your data out in the open don’t be surprised if people Google it.
I can’t see how it would be illegal or immoral for a company to Google you for information you’ve put on the net. It gets trickier if people in the company use internal information to contact you outside the context of legitimate business, e,g one of the staff members uses your phone number to call up for a date. That would cause legal issues.
Username doesn't check out
Here's a crazy thought, if you don't want people to know information about you, don't post it online.
Seems easier to post it, but just to ask people not to look at it :)
You gave a complaint to a company, they research you to plan a reply? I mean, what reply would they give that is related to your personal life instead of the complaint?
"Hi George,
I do apologise on our behalf that you did not get the outcome you were looking for when a staff member did not honour an expired coupon, please use this new coupon on your next visit, by the way, never wear a red shirt with cargo shorts, so 2000's, but your dog is cute."
There was a women recently who said she didn't receive a sports bra in the mail so asked for a refund then she posted a pic online of her wearing the bra.
Yeah that's messed up, but there's no real proof that it's the bra she didn't receive, it could have been her second pair that didn't receive, we just never know. Thing is, businesses has a lot to lose even if the business is right. I feel bad for small businesses trying to survive when scammers bring them down for their own petty motives.
Is it legal to post a a fake review/review bomb on their Google page?
No not legal to post fake reviews, be truthful and it's legal.
Would probably fall under defamation as fake reviews are lies that could easily be argued as damaging to the party being reviewed
Would it be OK for the consultant to research us
If it is public info they are fidning, then no problem at all.
You haven't really said what they are 'doing' or what your issue was, but there would be many reasons for a company to do this.
Firstly to see if you are a real person/customer.
Maybe looking for dirt on you regarding a complaint you put in to them for 'freebies' but then posting on socials saying how great it was.
Wait, so there's no question if it's legal to sell you stuff based on your public (and private) internet presence, but a company trying to research a customer prior to addressing their complaint to maybe figure out the best way to do so may be illegal?
This is perfect.
Sounds like OP has something to hide that is on the internet that shows up in a google search.
Sounds like OP posted something on Facebook that clearly breached their warranty.
Any post starting with "Is it legal …"
Really should be pushed to consulting such legal ppl (rather than randoms on OZB).
Personally - reckon you have already got your answer (free of charge BTW) - please submit a gold coin to OZB for it's service … If you look at votes to ALL your posts - then hey !!!
FB + LInkedIN + Insta == a goldmine of info.
Esp for recruitment agencies.
IF you were a WHIRLPOOL user (following job section) ,,, then it is fully spelled out about possible scenarios.
OBZ ppl may need things put in 100% clear writing for them … just saying :)
tell your "friend" they should watch out
your "friend" is in trouble
your "friend" better get a lawyer
maybe you should google a lawyer, i mean ur "friend"
This is the reason I don’t have Fartbook, Instascam, ShitTok, or any other social media online presence.
I was once cut from a list of potential job hires because I refused to give them my social media accounts. I said to them “I can’t give them to you, because I don’t have social media”…
They thought that that made me untrustworthy… I told them that them keeping tabs on me was the exact reason I don’t have social media accounts.
That being said, I am rated in the top 10% of Google reviews world wide for restaurant reviews… and that’s only because I like slagging off fast food outlets that are filthy pigstys. 😂
slagging off fast food outlets that are filthy pigstys
You are doing God's work. I feel fast food hygiene, presentation, taste, quality, quantity, price etc have slowly taken a turn for the worse over the last decade.
I was once cut from a list of potential job hires because I refused to give them my social media accounts
Employers should not be entitled to your social media. How would they react if you asked intimate questions about the boss' wife?
Why would an employer request your SM handles?
Because they are micro-managing shit bags. What they are doing is searching for leverage, be it pay rise time or disciplinary action time.
To me, asking for my social media handles is akin to telling me that they need to install cameras in my home to watch me, and to install their gps tracking app on my phone. They even went so far as to tell me that if I had any account and it was set to private, that I would need to add them so they could see the profile.
Outside the 8 hours of my day I decide to give to any employer, they cease to exist outside of these hours, this includes access to me, my life, my home, my personal affects and least of all, my social media.
One of my current, part time employers has very very strict rules about what I can and cat say on social media (again, I denied them access to things that I just dont have) but then turned around and said that they have the right to use my image, while I am in their uniform, without any restriction. So they could run a campaign that I absolutely do not agree with and use my photo in their advertising, giving the impression that I am supporting this campaign. I refuse any requests to take my photo, other than a head shot I am required to submit to for the purpose of my identification card.
what industry are you in? sounds interesting
Why you are so lazy, just create 3 accounts with this info: HIRE ME!!!
Often a good exercise to google yourself. Looking at yourself this way can give you some useful feedback.
This is why I put myself as Supreme Court Judge on my linkedin profile, so no companies mess with me when I complain about their product
Legal yes.
Companies that do it on a mass scale, Google, Meta, Apple, Microsoft.. All with AI of course…
I know real estate agents that do it as well on the private to see if they can extract more money
Here's a left field thought. Companies already research you through their marketing teams integration with FB, LI, meta, TikTok (google "TikTok pixel"), without you needing to complain to start that process.
Can you prove it? Possibly. Depends if you want to pay to get the same access they have.
Is it legal? Yes - check the privacy/acceptable usage policies BEFORE you sign up to these services.
If its publicly available information then there's absolutely no issue whatsoever. You have options to secure that information that you have not taken.
I apply with my nickname/pseudo name on my resume and provide my legal name to hr when I start.
I have next to no online presence anyway, but I don't like giving out too much info to random companies and agencies when i know they give zero (profanity) about safe data handling & privacy.
If you didn't want them to have the info you would not have made it public for them to freely access. As others said, if you googled my name you would find only little info about me and what info is out there is only there because I am required to have it online, nothing beyond that is available. I never understood peoples desire to expose their private lives to everyone online.
There is nothing stopping anyone from Googling your name and details, it is literally why Google exists.
AI stuff is making the searching even easier and faster, which is only going to increase over the coming decade.
How you use it is restricted, eg if they dox you in the review reply or call your employer and slander you.
But if they just did some "market research" before the rep called you then this is actually quite common and an insight into how much an insurance company knows about you when you make a claim, or how much a profesional recruiter or large corporate digs up on you before the interview, or what police/lawyers know about you if acting as a witness in court.
These days in professional settings you can expect to be LinkedIn profiled for every contact and get the cold shoulder if you look like a small time timewaster or dont exist.
It's pretty normal. They want to do all they can to make you take down your negative reviews.
Plus, they could be doing this already without your reviews so they can sell you things better.
The tin foil hat company probably isn't googling you
Its about as ethical as fingering people on the same unix network in the good ol days. Wild times
Probably not, but will Samsung buy an iPhone on launch?
This might help easing your worries. I googled a new client at one stage trying to learn to pronounce their name: it looked like it came out of a random string generator. It turned out they were real lol And I still don’t know how to pronounce it today.
Can you tell us the story behind this question?