Providing loads of personal data about you to anyone is one thing, adding a blog feature that would allows others to post discussions about you online is… par for the course for people search engine ZabaSearch.com, writes the San Francisco Chronicle. The link to each person's ZabaBlog will be right below his or her residential address in the search results. ZabaSearch used to link to satellite maps of people's homes, but it stopped doing that - but may start again. The ZabaBlog, expected to launch later this week, is apparently just one among several changes in the offing at Zaba to make the site more attractive to visitors.

Another anticipated feature: paid listings on search results for those who want to ensure that they stick out from search results for similarly named people.

How Zaba will monitor the blogs to safeguard against defamation and libel is not clear.

"It's outrageous," said Beth Givens of consumer advocacy group the Privacy Rights Clearinghouse. "For a people-search service to move into the area of what could be unsubstantiated gossip is highly irresponsible."

ZabaSearch gives away the personal data to lure visitors; it makes money by charging $22.95 for in-depth background checks, or $7.95 per check after payment of a $35 annual membership fee.