by Mark Ollig

Created on: August 18, 2008

The "X-Files" television show ended with these five words: "The truth is out there."

That's for sure.

We use the Internet to find information about every subject under the sun.

It is sometimes shocking to realize the amount of information that is stored on the Internet about each of us.

For example, do you sometimes shop online at Amazon.com?

I recently discovered that it too, is a source of information about us.

Amazon allows a person to set up a reminder list or "wish list" of items you would like to have from their store.

Did you know this list can be seen by anyone else who visits Amazon?

Another interesting fact is a person would not even have to sign-in to Amazon see this information.

I sometimes shop there and I have a few items I keep on a wish list which I incorrectly assumed was just for my personal reference.

It might be surprising to some of you (it was to me) to know this "wish list" you thought would only be seen by yourself when you were on Amazon is viewable by anyone.

I honestly was unaware this list could be viewed by anyone other than me, because I would normally view this list which I only regarded as a "reminder" wish list of items I wanted when I would sign-in to Amazon.com.

As you shop, by clicking the "Add to Wish List" button on the page of any item that you may want to have in the future, it becomes viewable by not only yourself when you come back to shop again (I used it as reference of things I would like to have) but this list also becomes publicly view by others.

To try it for yourself, go to www.amazon.com and click on "gifts and wish lists." You will see a new box pop up labeled "Find someone's wish list" (this is not seen when you initially get to Amazon.com).

In this box you can type in any person's name, even just a last name or any e-mail address of anyone who has an account on Amazon.

A list of names or just the individual name will appear.

Some of the names will show the city and state they live in.

Click on any name and you will see their individual wish list and full description of the items they have bookmarked.

For a test, feel free to enter my name and see my current wish list.

Although the information I have listed is mostly electronics and books, it might have included other items I would not want to have viewable by the general public.

Did I also mention the items you have purchased' on Amazon can also be looked at by the general public?

This just keeps getting better and better, doesn't it?

Any of your "wish list" or "purchased" items

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