Favorite Quotes
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
The National Sex Offenders site,names,addresses...
The National Sex Offender lists, names, addresses...
Public records search site
Welcome to Search Systems - the original, largest, most up-to-date and reliable directory of public records and best resource for background checks and criminal records on the Internet.
Each states open government records
The Open Government Guide is a complete compendium of information on every state's open records and open meetings laws.
Daily updates from the web
For those of you that want to be updated daily on everything related to our field here is a source that has the keywords plugged in and ready for easy reference.
Dated PI stories
ASG Investigations has put links relevant to PI's online. The stories are dated but a good read for those who don't subscribe to PI Magazine.
http://www.pimagazine.com/
http://www.pimagazine.com/
Mass.Private Investigator Sues Google
Private eye sues Google over 'unwanted ads'
By Stephen Foley in New YorkMonday, 28 April 2008
Lawyers acting for an American private detective claim hundreds of thousands of companies that signed up to advertise on Google might have been deceived into paying for adverts they did not want. The private detective has launched a legal action against the search engine, and his attorneys want the lawsuit to become a class action, which could cost the company millions of dollars if he is successful.
David Almeida said he signed up his firm, Bay State Detective Agency, as an advertiser on Google in 2006 – one of millions of small businesses that have found a cheap means of targeting advertising at people who are genuinely searching for their services. However, he wanted the ads to appear only on Google's own site, not the thousands of other websites, from MySpace to personal blogs, on which Google serves up the ads.
Google had revenues of $1.7bn (£860m) from ads placed on third-party websites in the first three months of this year alone, a third of all its income. The company charges a fee every time someone clicks on the ad.
Mr Almeida's lawyers, at the firm Kabateck Brown Kellner, believe hundreds of thousands of advertisers have been charged for ads on websites where they didn't want them, and they believe they can build a class action of significant size.
"This affects the little guy, the first-time advertiser, the ones who are most vulnerable," said Brian Kabateck. "They think they are buying ads on Google and they are getting only Google, but they are losing control of their ad campaigns and ... paying for ads that do them no good."
Google said it would not comment until it had been formally served with the lawsuit.
Mr Almeida has been a private investigator in Boston, Massachusetts, for more than a decade and tried advertising his services on Google for the first time in November 2006.
When advertisers sign up to Google's advertising service, they can set a maximum price they will pay for ads next to Google's search engine results, but are told that setting a price for ads on other websites is optional. Mr Almeida said he reasonably assumed leaving it blank would mean his ad didn't appear at all and that he wouldn't be charged.
"By redefining the universally understood meaning of an input form left blank, and then intentionally concealing this redefinition, Google has fraudulently taken millions of dollars," Mr Almeida alleges in the lawsuit, filed in a California court last Tuesday.
Kabateck Brown Kellner has fought Google before, over "click fraud", where advertisers are billed for fruitless traffic generated from someone who repeatedly clicks on an ad with no intention of buying. Google paid $90m in a settlement in 2006.
By Stephen Foley in New YorkMonday, 28 April 2008
Lawyers acting for an American private detective claim hundreds of thousands of companies that signed up to advertise on Google might have been deceived into paying for adverts they did not want. The private detective has launched a legal action against the search engine, and his attorneys want the lawsuit to become a class action, which could cost the company millions of dollars if he is successful.
David Almeida said he signed up his firm, Bay State Detective Agency, as an advertiser on Google in 2006 – one of millions of small businesses that have found a cheap means of targeting advertising at people who are genuinely searching for their services. However, he wanted the ads to appear only on Google's own site, not the thousands of other websites, from MySpace to personal blogs, on which Google serves up the ads.
Google had revenues of $1.7bn (£860m) from ads placed on third-party websites in the first three months of this year alone, a third of all its income. The company charges a fee every time someone clicks on the ad.
Mr Almeida's lawyers, at the firm Kabateck Brown Kellner, believe hundreds of thousands of advertisers have been charged for ads on websites where they didn't want them, and they believe they can build a class action of significant size.
"This affects the little guy, the first-time advertiser, the ones who are most vulnerable," said Brian Kabateck. "They think they are buying ads on Google and they are getting only Google, but they are losing control of their ad campaigns and ... paying for ads that do them no good."
Google said it would not comment until it had been formally served with the lawsuit.
Mr Almeida has been a private investigator in Boston, Massachusetts, for more than a decade and tried advertising his services on Google for the first time in November 2006.
When advertisers sign up to Google's advertising service, they can set a maximum price they will pay for ads next to Google's search engine results, but are told that setting a price for ads on other websites is optional. Mr Almeida said he reasonably assumed leaving it blank would mean his ad didn't appear at all and that he wouldn't be charged.
"By redefining the universally understood meaning of an input form left blank, and then intentionally concealing this redefinition, Google has fraudulently taken millions of dollars," Mr Almeida alleges in the lawsuit, filed in a California court last Tuesday.
Kabateck Brown Kellner has fought Google before, over "click fraud", where advertisers are billed for fruitless traffic generated from someone who repeatedly clicks on an ad with no intention of buying. Google paid $90m in a settlement in 2006.
Monday, April 28, 2008
Pi's that are in the news, good and bad
Reading some recent news wires about PI's I would like to share these stories...
http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2008/04/26/menino_rebukes_city_dpw_workers/
http://www.summitdaily.com/article/20080307/NEWS/186326399
http://www.thestarpress.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080228/NEWS01/802280378/1002/rss
http://www.shreveporttimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080423/NEWS03/804230355/1062
http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080428/NEWS0103/804280373
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/342557_pretexting07.html
http://blog.wired.com/27bstroke6/2007/12/private-eyes-in.html
http://www.romingerlegal.com/PiUSA.htm
http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2008/04/26/menino_rebukes_city_dpw_workers/
http://www.summitdaily.com/article/20080307/NEWS/186326399
http://www.thestarpress.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080228/NEWS01/802280378/1002/rss
http://www.shreveporttimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080423/NEWS03/804230355/1062
http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080428/NEWS0103/804280373
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/342557_pretexting07.html
http://blog.wired.com/27bstroke6/2007/12/private-eyes-in.html
http://www.romingerlegal.com/PiUSA.htm
Sunday, April 27, 2008
Welcome!
This is my first post for the Mass Private I blog. I hope this will become a place for PI's across the Commonwealth to come together and share information. I am currently employed as a Private Investigator with Nardizzi & Asssociates in Boston.
I graduated from the 5th Boston University Professional Investigation Certificate Program and wanted to create a place for former and future students to stay connected and share ideas. This field is evolving at a rapid pace and the laws are constantly changing which affect our profession.
I encourage other PI's and students to post anything they feel is relevant. Links, changes in statutes, events, job postings, etc.
phone: 781-596-8200
fax: 781-596-8202
Link: http://www.nardizzi.com/
I graduated from the 5th Boston University Professional Investigation Certificate Program and wanted to create a place for former and future students to stay connected and share ideas. This field is evolving at a rapid pace and the laws are constantly changing which affect our profession.
I encourage other PI's and students to post anything they feel is relevant. Links, changes in statutes, events, job postings, etc.
phone: 781-596-8200
fax: 781-596-8202
Link: http://www.nardizzi.com/
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