Reporter gets on the case

I got the assignment. It was simple: Find her. Find her fast. And by the way, don't leave your desk.

My boss wanted me to demonstrate how much dirt I could find on somebody using the Net.

Her name? Let's just say she is someone who minds her own business. I chose her for a few reasons: She has an uncommon name, so that would give me a little advantage; she uses credit cards like the rest of us, so she's in the system; while logging on from time to time, she isn't much of a Netizen so her case presented something of a challenge. And, OK, the truth? She gave me permission. As long as I promised to protect her identity.

The boss told me I could spend a little money. We're not talking Franklins here. Just a few Andrew Jacksons. I had about two days, which in Net time sounded like a lot. At least, it did then.

I set off.

First, I slogged through some search engines just to say I did it. I knew I wouldn't find anything, and I was right. Then I rounded up the usual suspects--Web sites that let you look up listed phone numbers and email addresses. I checked out a bunch of places like Yahoo's people search and Switchboard. I searched on DejaNews, a searchable archive of bulletin boards.

Here's what I found: nada.

Then I checked InfoSpace. Bingo. The self-described "ultimate directory" lived up to its name, yielding a CompuServe address and city of residence: Oakland, California.

I have her now, I thought. I went back to DejaNews and typed in her CompuServe number, thinking it would turn up all her bulletin board postings. Then I did a big search on Oakland for public records online and looked in military and university directories. I even tried a Social Security index for the deceased.

I got zip. And it was getting late. I decided to cheat.

I picked up the phone and started dialing. Sure, I could have used email, but the phone was easier. Karen Coyle, a privacy expert with Computer Professionals for Social Responsibility, picked up on the first ring.