

Ask HN: How did they get my name? - xoxo

I signed a petition on this page:
https:&#x2F;&#x2F;secure.avaaz.org&#x2F;en&#x2F;petition&#x2F;Helle_ThorningSchmidt_Prime_minister_of_Danish_Government_Pardon_and_release_Anakata_but_even_more_urgently_provide_him_&#x2F;<p>and to my surprise, using only my email address, they pulled my first and last name.<p>Does anyone know how this is possible? This could be useful to use on website signups pages.
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mstolpm
It seems you first have to become an "Avaaz member" before signing any
petition. I'm presented with two options: 'Already an Avaaz member? Enter your
email address and hit "Send"' and 'First time here? Please fill out the form
below.'. This form asks for name and email address. In addition, it seems to
be possible to connect to Avazz with your Twitter or Facebook account. So,
most likely you have provided your name in the past in one way or the other.

But honestly, I'd be very pissed if someone would be able to pull my first and
last name when subscribing for a random newsletter.

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rubyfan
Rapleaf, Acxiom, etc.

