Logan Palmer is a pretty common name which has led to some interesting mix-ups.
We laughed about the error but also commiserated. Then, we spent a significant amount of time chasing down an improbable lead trying to figure out if we had found the right Logan.
Between Logan’s title on the show and his LinkedIn, we were fairly confident he actually was in video production, but we were having trouble confirming his current position.
Then this popped up.
This ZoomInfo profile contained information we knew to be accurate (Logan spent time at KUSI News) but also some that we were suspicious about. Primarily, the bit about him working for a company in Kathmandu, Nepal.
What is ZoomInfo and is it a reliable source?
ZoomInfo is promoted as, “An American subscription-based software as a service company based in Vancouver, Washington that sells access to its database of information about business people and companies to sales, marketing and recruiting professionals.”
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But just how does ZoomInfo get the information for that database? Wikipedia describes the process thusly,
“ZoomInfo’s data is maintained by a machine learning and artificial intelligence engine that pulls from millions of unique sources. The engine makes decisions about which data is accurate enough to publish on the ZoomInfo platform. ZoomInfo’s data updates in real time, whenever a company’s attributes change, like hiring new employees […]”
Essentially, ZoomInfo is constantly searching the internet looking for information about you, pulling that information into a profile, and then selling access to your profile. It’s big business. While there is a cost barrier to getting that information (it appears the cheapest ZoomInfo subscriptions starts at $14,995), it’s a good reminder of how much of our data is for sale. While that’s alarming enough, it can be a serious headache for people who are assigned incorrect information.
We ran into something similar with Romeo Alexander from Michelle’s season when Google’s algorithm decided that he was a prolific author of homoerotic fiction and posted his photo along with the list of book titles he had supposedly written.
Even if your information is accurate, it’s probably showing up in a number of places you don’t want or expect. There are a lot of “people finder” websites that work in the same way as ZoomInfo, but focused on personal information like your address and phone number. This can be a serious safety concern, especially for women and members of other vulnerable groups who are more likely to be subjected to stalking or harassment on and offline. And, unlike professional sites like ZoomInfo, people finder sites charge a lot less than $14,995.
Feminist Frequency has an online guide to monitoring and removing your personal information from these websites. We also recommend the Smart Girl’s Guide to Privacy for those who want to go more in depth on both the subject of data security and digital security strategies. Caroline Criado-Perez, author of Invisible Women: Data Bias in a World Designed for Men, has covered this topic with a focus on Roe and women’s health data on her podcast.
So Logan doesn’t work in Nepal?
Fine, let’s get this camera dolly back on track. Since we know that sometimes information can be wrong on the internet, we think it’s more likely Logan works for a digital marketing company of the same name in San Diego, as indicated by his LinkedIn.
He’s not on their website, but it’s a big agency and Logan is fairly new, so this wasn’t odd to us. We combed their Instagram looking for evidence of Logan’s employment, but didn’t find anything conclusive. Judging from the size of their group photos, Logan wouldn’t be the only employee to not make the website.
Two out of two bloggers agree that this blurry man in the back could possibly be Logan!
However, we did find confirmation of his previous position at a local news station.
Logan lists his current job title at the marketing company as “production technician,” which makes sense given his work history. We consider this a match for “videographer.”
He has done a bit of Instagram modeling – probably in exchange for free gear – but we didn’t find anything that would indicate professional modeling or acting aspirations like Brendan Morais or Chris Sutton.
Career-wise, Logan is exactly who he appears to be, which we’re always pleasantly surprised to discover.
All in all, Logan seems like your average arty San Diego surfer dude, albeit one who’s tall and good looking enough to be on The Bachelorette. He even has the typical college football background (and a distinctive former haircut).
Logan is 6’4, which isn’t as tall as Thomas (6’6), but is still probably tall enough to annoy Aaron.
xo Your Nosy Friends, Human Web Crawlers
PS While we prefer to keep our personal information off the internet, we love it when you help us increase our digital imprint by sharing articles, following us on Twitter or Instagram, or contributing to our tip jar.
