Remove your personal information from data brokers

[SteveRiley]

Sounds like a time-consuming but reasonable endeavor.

http://www.computerworld.com/article...a-brokers.html

There are hundreds of data brokers, not all of which offer opt-out processes. (Exceptions are made for state-mandated protected groups, such as sexual assault survivors in California.) Removing yourself from all those that do can be a Sisyphean task, but managing your data with just the following 11 can be accomplished in an hour or two.

I selected these brokers based on the following factors:

* What those who have been doxxed cited as services that were used against them
* Search results for my own name
* Consultation with Paul Stephens, director of policy and advocacy at the Privacy Rights Clearinghouse and author of Data Brokers and Your Privacy

Opt out of the following services, and you'll have "gotten all of the big ones," says Stephens—but pay attention to the caveat at the end of this story.

Note that some opt-out forms paradoxically require you to submit personal data in order to have it removed; be your own judge of whether this is wise. (I recommend creating a temporary email address specifically for these requests.)

Also note that with most of these services you'll receive a confirmation email shortly after you submit your removal request. If you don't see the email in your inbox, check your spam filter.

Click the link above for the full article and details for how to remove your personal information from:

* Spokeo
* Pipl
* ZoomInfo
* Whitepages
* PeopleSmart
* CheckPeople
* BeenVerified
* Intelius and subsidiaries
* US Search
* PeopleFinders.com
* PeekYou

[Feathers McGraw]

This whole thing has spiralled way out of control...

*There is a genuine scandal (just like every other industry, those reviewing things are not as impartial as they should be)
*A vocal sexist minority of gamers have used this scandal as an excuse to attack women (because one of the reviewers was in a relationship with a game developer)
*The trolls have got the attention of mainstream media, who don't really care about the scandal but can sell ads on content about sexism.
*The actual issue has been buried
*Trolls get what they want (attention)
*Real gamers don't get what they want (impartial reviews) because the real issue has been portrayed as a front for sexism.
*Feminists (not just women, by the way) don't get what they want either, because the people attacking women over this are beyond reason.

[GreyGeek]

This appears to be a version of the "Linux is misogynist" dustup about 10 years ago.

[SteveRiley]

Guys, the point of making this post is the stuff I didn't quote -- how to remove your personal info from all those aggregation sites. I'll edit my quoted portion so that this is clearer.

[Feathers McGraw]

Don't worry man, I got you... the other stuff is interesting too is all!

Back on topic, then (a first for FKN!)... I wonder how many of these companies gather information through general internet browsing, and how much of their info comes from services like Facebook and apps that track personal information.

[SteveRiley]

In America, a lot of information about individuals is public. Arrests, convictions, sentences, court records, mortgage transactions, title transfers, licenses, registrations, marriages, divorces, and more. Credit reporting companies maintain -- and sell -- purchase history, payment history, liens, credit scores, loans, loan payoffs, defaults, bankrupties, and more. Before the rise of these aggregators, this information was generally difficult to obtain. Now, for $19.95, you can obtain a highly detailed dossier on anyone you target are curious about. About the only thing afforded any privacy is health care records.

[GreyGeek]

Besides, what Steve added, by now everyone knows that once it is on the Internet it stays on the Internet ... somewhere. And, if not the Internet then the massive storage facility the NSA has in Utah.