To think is not too nosy?

[azureazure]

My dp thinks I’m very nosy. I think I’m inquisitive. If someone tells me something and it interests me, I will do some research on the topic later. Or if I meet someone who interests me, I’ll look them up later.

Most recent example he thought was strange is that we went on holiday and got talking to a couple. Knew first names only and the area they lived in. They mentioned they’d just sold their business and seemed like they had a LOT of money. They were also very vague about what the business was but said along the lines of “We sold carpets”.

So from that info I was able to spend about 20 mins tracking down who they were. Could see how much their business sold for and how much their house cost e t c

Does anyone else do this? I’m just interested in people. I can find out lots off little info and see it perhaps as a challenge for my detective skills.

Equally, how is contributing to this thread of any use to you? How is it of any benefit to you? What are you gaining from it? People do things that provide them with a moment of interest/enjoyment. Including posting on online forums. It’s a way of passing a few minutes, that’s all. It’s not that deep.

It’s the exact opposite of that- your bathroom cabinet is for your things, kept in a private space where only you expect to see it.

That’s why people have passwords on their email- that is the online equivalent of your bathroom cabinet. Nothing to hide but equally no one else’s business.

Things published in public spaces online are put there for people to see- that is their entire purpose- to be available to anyone who cares to look for any reason.

Information is publicly available presumably for people who need it or will benefit from it, to access. It wasn't intended to satisfy the stalker tendencies of people like the OP.
Honestly not everyone does this. Maybe I lack curiosity but I can't imagine being do interested in what a total stranger sold their business for, that I would search that information out on purpose. It's fucking weird!

There aren’t any conditions around people who are permitted to access this information. It’s public information. It’s fine to think it’s weird, or to judge people for doing it, but they’re not actually doing anything wrong. The information is there, at the click of a button.
For example, I judge people who watch Love Island and enjoy it. I think it’s vacuous tripe aimed at people of low intelligence. But they’re not doing anything wrong by watching it, they can spend their free time how they want, so it’s none of my business really.
We all do things that other people view as being pointless, boring, stupid etc.

I’d find this creepy whether or not the information is in the public domain.

Searching a book or music that was mentioned is one thing. Even looking up someone’s existing business. Digging down to work out financial details of a stranger is odd. For the level of a stranger if you would not be happy to let them know the searches you have done if you met again then I think it’s beyond nosey.

If you as a stranger who I’ll never meet did your search on me you may find a close relative that died recently of cancer and their funeral. I didn’t add the details myself but it’s there. I would feel that you had pried and been much more upset than if a potential employer or even colleague finding exactly the same information in the same way.

I can’t believe so many adults don’t understand that once something is online anyone can see it or read it, and that people aren’t going to follow a set of rules or guidelines that you have made up in your head for what they should or shouldn’t google.

I actually find it quite worrying that people are like ‘well I know the information is there, instantly accessible to billions of people, but I don’t expect people to actually look at it’.

It is worrying, and also just baffling. It’s no wonder it’s impossible to get through to teenagers that it’s a bad idea to live their life on social media when adults can’t even understand that publicly available online actually means that the public WILL SEE IT.

I'm like this.

I don't really care what anyone thinks of me relating to this.

My interest in pursuing information has held me in good stead in life. Ive often found things out that I 100% needed to know/could benefit from via this sort of exploring.

It kinda is though because I Google things to find out what a stranger’s life might be like.

E.g. Once I invited colleague to the pub and told her if she just wants a lemonade it’s fine, as a few of us don’t drink. She straight up told me she’s an alcoholic who had been clean a decade and can’t trust herself because she won’t stop. I reacted awkwardly(?) as I wasn’t quite sure how to respond. Even a congratulations sounded patronising idk. Now how to respond to such confessions is on my extensive to-Google list in my phone notes. It’s only “not creepy” because my subjects don’t know they’re in there lmao.

I call this "research". My DH calls it stalking. 🙄 He is in both awe and terror of my ability to find out so much about someone just from their first name and one other bit of information.

It's a useful skill. Great for genealogy research. And it's why I have zero presence on the internet myself.

I agree wholeheartedly. It should be illegal.

Nosiness is a sign of intelligence. I research people for a living and I just automatically do it when I meet people who interest me.

I am the same but I avoid sharing every detail with DH because he already thinks I'm too nosey. However, I really don't think it's being nosey I'm genuinly just curious..

Its incredibly important that sale data for land/housing is public

Its to ensure the market in housing is fair and that all buyers and sellers have equal information.

It prevents institutional investors etc from abusing the fact that they can access more market data than others by participating in a high volume of transactions, from abusing than knowledge and profiteering.

It's private, why is it out there in the first place?

Its not private. Its information relating to the economy and impacts local communities

Yeh. It’s stalker behaviour.

This type of behaviour seems to be typical amongst practically all of the ADHD people i know- might be unconnected to that and just me and the people i know. Yes im fascinated in everything about people, ( and everything in general) but it seems everyone i've ever known is exactly the same so i've never known, or considered, it to be remotely odd.

That's just stupidity, nothing new there. I find the quasi-fascist "I don't like it so it should be illegal" far more worrying.

Yeah to be honest I would think that people who do this must have a very narrow life. If you want mental stimulation or are bored, take up a hobby and learn something new, read books or do puzzles. Anything but creepily and obsessively researching friends, acquaintances and strangers. Weird.

You can't go back and look at whay they've posted to prove they said it though. That's private information. Or something like that.

It sounds a really boring way to spend your time.

Ridiculous comment. There have been plenty of explanations on here about why this information is public.
Also why would it matter to you to try to keep it private that you bought your house for say 525k when it had been publicly listed on Rightmove for 540k and the vendor already told the neighbours what offer he'd accepted? You seriously think that people should be prosecuted for revealing that information?!

We all understand that anyone can read information that's online.

We're aware that dodgy people will search all they can about someone and put together every bit of info for nefarious purposes eg romance scammers or other kinds of fraudsters.

What has taken many of us aback is that there are a number of ordinary people who do this out of nosiness and just to pass the time.

The earlier analogy of asking to use someone's bathroom and then rooting through the bathroom cabinet is spot on.

It's all a bit sneaky isn't it? If you are friends with someone of dealing with a school mum, colleague etc, why not take them at face value for who they are, what they say and how they interact with you? I'd feel so petty and a bit basic if I looked up other people's house prices and god knows what else. This is why I don't let my dc's school share any pictures or posts about my dc. I know some mothers who follow other children's schools on the various channels to keep track of how their dc are doing, what prizes they're winning, how well they sports teams are doing. They are behaving like stalkers of children.