We realize the Google and other search engines don't control the
databases accessed in searches.  However, is there any way for an
individual to opt out for reasons of personal privacy and not have
info displayed when a search is made under his or her name through
Google or other search engines?  If so, how?  This would be analogous
to having your name put on a "do not call" list or a "do not mail"
list.  Also, is it possible to delete, correct or tag with a separate
comment for clarification the information which may be displayed in a
search for an individual without having to negotiate with public or
private sources of information?  If so, how?

Greetings!  I discovered three methods to prevent search engines from
spidering a web site.

From a University of Washington web page:

1) use the code  <meta name="robots" content="noindex,nofollow"> in
your metatag

2) creating a robots.txt file in the root directory in one of the
following manners:

    User-agent: *           # Rules apply to all search engines
    Disallow: /temp         # Exclude anything starting with "/temp"
                            #   (can be directories or files)
    Disallow: /private/     # Exclude the entire directory "/private"
    Disallow: /secret.html  # Don't index the file secret.html

3) creating directories that are only accessible by certain users 

A web site from the University of Arizona also offers this information
but the University of Washington's page was quite comprehensive.

Would you mind clarifying the second part of your question for me?  I
am not certain what you are asking with "Also, is it possible to
delete, correct or tag with a separate comment for clarification the
information which may be displayed in a search for an individual
without having to negotiate with public or private sources of
information?


SEARCH TERMS and LINKS:

prevent search engines  [Google search]
://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&ie=ISO-8859-1&q=prevent+search+engines

About Search Engines and "Spiders" - UWEE Computing FAQ
(How to prevent the search engines from including your pages in their
index)
https://www.ee.washington.edu/computing/faq/web/search_engines.html

Prevent Your Site From Being Searched -- Web Development Tutorial
http://uaweb.arizona.edu/resources/tutorial/search/prevent.shtml

---

Request for Answer Clarification by frankdirect-ga on 10 Oct 2002 05:23 PDT

Thank you for your answer.  Sorry for the delay in getting back to
you.  I'm not certain if your answer fully addresses the question
which was not to block spiders from my web site or a specific web site
that allows this.  Will the technique you describe block spidering or
indexing of "personal" information from certain specific web sites
which are not under my control?  If so, please clarify the technique?

---

Clarification of Answer by journalist-ga on 10 Oct 2002 19:01 PDT

Greetings again.  If you are referring to having personal information
blocked that you have posted on web sites other than your own, then
the only way to control who sees it would be for you to contact each
web site where you have entered the personal information and ask the
webmaster to remove it or block it from spidering. Once you let go of
your personal information to a web site, you are at the mercy of
having it visible to anyone on the Internet.

In my searches on this subject, there is no such thing as a "do not
mail" list nor any legislation that has been passed on the matter.  I
sincerely wish there was legislation preventing spam.  Some web sites
promise not to release your personal information to others but if you
have released your information to other web sites, then they control
it.

In my answer, I was addressing ways you could prevent personal
information from being spidered on your own web site.  However, if you
have given out personal information to other web sites, then the only
way to effectively prevent anyone from finding it is to contact each
individual webmaster and ask that your content/posts be completey
removed from their databases.

Here is some advice on how to prevent spam:

"Prevention is the key to blocking spam and keeping your e-mail
address safe.  Here are some examples with tips to avoid being a
victim of a Spammer:

1. Never post your email address in a newsgroup or public Bulletin
Board. These places are frequented by tools that hunt down emails to
be added to bulk mail lists.  If you must use a list, use a temporary
email account or one you can enable an auto-reply for when its not
being used to tell all that this email is not in use.

2. Spammers will use robots and spiders to find code on pages that
begin with, <mailto:>.  Try not to place your email address on the
initial "index.html" page of your website, instead place it on pages
within the site and use contact forms whenever possible.

3. Sometimes when you register at a Web site and it asks you for your
e-mail address to complete the registration or place an order, look to
see if the site has a Privacy Policies regarding the use of your
personal information. Make sure you read and understand the terms
before you subscribe or purchase anything.

4. You want to sign up for a mailing list.. Note: Be sure to read the
terms and conditions of the mailing list regarding the privacy of your
personal information before signing up. Be sure the mailto addresses
are not disclosed when the lists are sent. Also, how hard is it to get
your name off the list.

5. Friends and family:  LOOKOUT!  When that special someone sends
group email (jokes, chain mail, photos, etc...) make sure you tell
them to ONLY place your address in the BCC: field.  When someone
forwards that mail with the header (showing all original names) to
another large group and folks in that group send it to a few friends &
so-on & so-on & so-on .....  This is easy pickings for a spammer who
will eventually get the email to simply add all the "valid" emails
they can to their lists.

6. Beware of the "Send this link to a friend or list of friends" form
button as you cannot control the path.  If you want to send something
to a friend, copy & paste the link and send it yourself.

You might still receive Spam even if none of the above examples have
occurred. Occasionally, spammers will try to guess your e-mail address
by using common e-mail names along with a certain domain, such as
"yahoo.com." There is really no way for them to know whether or not it
is a valid e-mail address ­ so don't respond to any Spam you receive
or click on an "unsubscribe" link. To do so only lets the spammer know
that they can continue to send mail to your e-mail address because
it's an active and valid account - that's how they get paid!."

I have three dummy email accounts myself which I use to register for
most everything, but somehow I still get approximately 60 spam mails a
day in my ISP mailbox.  It makes me crazy to be bothered with them and
I don't know how all those spammers got my "private" address.

If this clarification still does not answer your query, please
rephrase in another clarification.  I want to be certain I address
your inquiry completely.


SEARCH TERM and LINK:

"do not mail" program
://www.google.com/search?hl=en&ie=ISO-8859-1&q=%22do+not+mail%22+program

How Can I Prevent Spam
http://www.1stcoastweb.net/FAQ/prevent_spam.htm

---

Clarification of Answer by journalist-ga on 23 Oct 2002 22:36 PDT

Thank you for your generous rating of my research, and I hope you will
be better equipped now to control your private information.  In
regards to spam, it makes me crazy!

Did a good job after clarification one time.  Thanks!