Alexa: Now showing other sites owned

[figment88]

Alexa is now displaying other sites owned by the same person/company in the left column.

While this is a nice feature for examing the competition, I'm not particularly happy about the competition learning my network of sites.

[Iguana]

I agree completely. Not that I've got anything to be ashamed off with my sites.

Can we ban Alexa from mentioning our sites? I may consider transferring some other domains to a different registrar where I can hide my details.

[Iguana]

I shall answer my own question. My main site has had ia_archiver banned for at least 2 years. It looks like Alexa still includes websites even when you have banned their spider. In which case, how do they get the Thumbnail of the index page?

[sugarrae]

It might be nice if you even OWNED the sites they say you do. In a lot of cases, I'm seeing them listing sites not owned by the person who owns the domain you're viewing. I smell a lawsuit brewing.

[figment88]

I've been contacting Alexa trying to figure out how to get them to stop. So far no luck.

I'm really surprised more webmasters aren't as upset about this as I am. I do not want my hobby sites linked to my business sites. I do not want my unrelated business sites linked to eachother.

Guess I'll have to start paying my domain register their privacy money.

[wildbest]

Well, I have nothing to hide and I'm happy about that info they provide. :)

[Iguana]

I have had the occasional threat of violence in a guestbook on one of my sites (some Americans have no sense of humour) - Alexa gives such people my name and address a bit too easily. I need to get my address removed from WhoIs. I'm able to hide personal details with my uk domains from WhoIs but Alexa makes that useless.

[figment88]

I have nothing to hide

It is not necessarily a question of hiding - it is how they make associations. I am more than happy to let people know who I am on each of my sites, I just don't want them to know it is the same person.

If I have a serious business site, I don't want people to know I also operate a Pokemon fan site.

[pleeker]

Wow ... that's funny. They list 10 other sites on the detail page of my hobby site, but I don't own a single one of them... All 10 are client sites where I work.

Wonder if it's because I put my work address on my domain registrations?

[Iguana]

Can we all put Google's address on our registrations?

[Pfui]

Apparently, and irritatingly, Private Registration via Network Soutions isn't enough to dissuade Amazon.com-owned Alexa.com from publishing whatever info wants to, even when the info has been out of WHOIS for a year-plus.

I just found paid-to-be-private addresses and phone numbers in the "Contact Info" section. The section is editable -- am awaiting confirmation e-mail -- but this is definitely not okay.

Doggoneit. More time wasted taking care of things that never should've happened in the first place. Heck, I've even blocked Alexa's and Amazon's crawlers for ages and ages.

[Pfui]

This just in...

I just Alexa'd my personal site, where I house eBay-related files and such. It's a bona fide site, properly findable in Google. It's not a big deal, but the name is, because it's my eBay user and store name, and my family's company name.

That last part's important because in almost a century of family ownership (through the late 70s), neither the company nor family members ever sold or invested in anything 'sinful' -- no booze, no smokes, nothing but reliable, unsexy drygoods supplies.

So back to Alexa...

Checking twice, with //www. and without, MY site results show a completely DIFFERENT site that's registered to a guy in Russia, and a thumbnail image of three women.

Huh-wha?

Not only does Alexa publish private info (prior post) but in this case, its results are both wrong and potentially defamatory.

I'd laugh if I weren't so stunned. Maybe I'll laugh anyway -- all the way to the bank if they don't correct things (as soon as I figure out how to tell them they need to) NOW.

[edited by: engine at 4:07 pm (utc) on Mar. 15, 2006]
[edit reason] specifics removed [/edit]

[longen]

According to Alexa i own an American University.
Good be useful for .edu links:)

[Dayo_UK]

>>>Not only does Alexa publish private info (prior post) but in this case, its results are both wrong and potentially defamatory.

Indeed - putting names, addresses and email addresses under sites people dont own!

Hmmmmz

[woop01]

Why am I not surprised that their "See other sites owned" is about as completely bogus as their traffic rankings?

I cannot imagine why people still consider this a legitimate resource.

[xbase234]

It's not a question about hiding; it's more about the huge assumptions made by Alexa, coupled with incorrect and out-of-date whois data.

[dylans]

... err... why is Google the only one I'm finding that when searched, it *doesn't* show the others sites owned by?

[koen]

I just tested one of my sites and apparently I also own a porn site and a torrent site. Nice to see these things associated with my name. None of the sites mentioned are mine, while I do have other sites not listed with the 10.

[ccity]

Despite using Domains By Proxy since registering one of my domain names, Alexa is listing it as owned by me, complete with all of my personal contact info.

Furthermore, their system for removing contact information requires:

1) that I have an email address on the domain (I don't on this one)

2) or I put a file at www.domain.com/info.txt (which doesn't work since I mod-rewrite all URLs of www.domain.com as domain.com)

Argh...

[guez]

well I don't even see this feature when typing my domain yet. where on the page is it supposed to appear?

with all the businesses I run, I am afraid to discover this feature.

We should send Alexa a link to this post so they can get a feel of how professional feel about their new feature.

[guoqi]

I just searched one of our site and it appears that I also own many sites....

That is nice, I think I should try to see whether I can claim ownership of those sites or not.

[creepychris]

I can't find this feature either. Where on the page or what command are you using to get it? Thanks.

[Iguana]

ccity has the answer for some of us

If you do control the domain you can delist the contact info from here

[alexa.com...]

[pageoneresults]

I can't find this feature either. Where on the page or what command are you using to get it?

At first I couldn't find it. Then after checking various domains it started to appear. I don't think the data they have is complete yet. Nor is it correct. I found a few that I have to wonder how they even associated them with the domain being checked.

[Voxman]

I don't see it yet either...but if they associated me with any unsavory business like Porn (as one mentioned above)..then our lawyers would get involved and quick

[creepychris]

Thanks Pageoneresults,

I went around to other sites and finally found it. When it does appear, it seems to appear above "Share Your Thoughts" on the ver left side of the page. It's not showing for every site though.

[iblaine]

The NameIntelligence whois site has been showing related sites by IP for years. It's hard to justify this as a privacy issue if the data was already readily available.

[graywolf]

So now that we know Alexa is trying to establish and define your site network is there much doubt Google isn't doing it as well ... tinfoil hat anyone?

[mona]

I don't think this "feature" will be around very long, it's obvious that it is terribly innacurate and misleading.

I've been digging around trying to figure out how they are coming up with this stuff. Even our tech is stumped. The only coorelation we've found is the name of the administrative contact of the domain register. But even this isn't 100%.

I don't think I'm going to waste anymore time on this since I believe it'll be gone within days. If not, then count me in to the herd of webmasters contacting Alexa.

[blaze]

Of course google is doing it... how can they not?