How to Remove Personal Information from Internet & Public Data Sources
Ranked #46 in How-To, #477 overall
How to Protect Your Privacy and Remove Your Personal Information from Public Data Sources and Search Engines
Do you know your very personal or even private information can be easily found from Internet ? If someone knows your phone number, do you know what kind of personal information he or she pull out? Or if someone just knows your name and state, do you know what kind of information he or she find through instant background check?
Most personal information (if not all) about you are readily available on many public data sources. If you care about your privacy or personal safety, you may want to take some actions.
Exposing your personal information is very easy, removing them from Internet can be a tough task. . In this article, I will try to help you to find ways to remove your personal information from the Internet and public data sources.
You're welcomed to share your tips, experience, or comments on removing your personal information from Internet.
What Kind of Your Personal Information Are in Public Data Sources?
Can anyone check my personal information? Is it really that easy to find my personal information?
Internet is such a great place to find information, you can find almost anything you want to search within seconds at Google, Yahoo, or other search engines. You can make an instant people search to find information on lost friends, relatives, or even strangers you never meet.
On the flip (or negative side) though, not only you can find anything about others, people can also find anything about you with more information - includes your very private and non-public personal records through some special search engines.
Creditors, banks, political parties use the personal data for legitimate purpose. However, unscrupulous users could use your personal information to harm you or harass you. With the full availability of your private information, your identity is very easy to be stolen and exploited for commercial or criminal purposes.
The private information is not just the very basic information such as your name, address, or phone numbers as you would find easily on Google or Yahoo search. The private information I am talking about here is even more Personal, and these information is very easy to obtain with little cost.
With just one phone number, people can find anything about you such as your name (previous names and family history), age, race, date of birth, home address (previous addresses), signature, body build, weight, height, hair color, family members (kids name), relatives, neighbors, deeds, mortgages, tax liens, court judgment, marriage license, voter registrations, civil records, criminal records, if these information is not private enough, people even can check your social security number.
Most visitors have already found their very private personal information are already available on Internet before come to this place. If you want to know your personal information are on Internet, make an instant background check on yourself at websites such as Intelius - one of the most popular people search engines.
At many people search websites, a comprehensive background search on a person includes:
- State Criminal Check
- Nationwide Criminal Check
- Marital Status
- Phone Number(s)
- Date of Birth
- Address History
- Neighbors' Names
- Neighborhood Info
- Alias Names
- Sex Offender Check
- Possible Deceased Records
- Relatives and Associates
- Property Information
- Liens, Bankruptcies, and Judgments
Are these information obtained legally?
You bet. Several years back, only organizations could access to your personal information were federal government agencies, police departments, and licensed private investigators. With the newly passed laws on open records to public, these databases are available online through different channels, anyone can investigate and locate private information practically on anyone - job applicants, potential dates, neighbors, lost relatives, celebrities, even coworkers or friends.
Do you care about the privacy of your personal information be available to the public? Do you worried about identify theft? How and what can you do about it?
In the next few sections, I will show you exactly how to find them and remove your private information from Intelius and many other search databases on the Internet.
Why My Personal Information Are in Public Data Sources?
How to protect my personal info? Where can I find my personal info?
Famous stars, celebrities, businessmen, or even regular Joe like you and me are at risk when our private information is easily accessible from Internet.To remove your personal information from public data sources, you have to understand there are many ways that your name, address, telephone number, date of birth, neighborhood info are ended up online.
There are several steps you need to follow in order to protect and remove your personal information from public sources.
First, does your PC have an anti-spyware program installed? Does it have the latest updates and pattern files? Spyware are worse than virus, their goals are stealing your personal information and take advantage of you. Make sure you have installed a good anti-spyware software program.. There are some good free anti-spyware programs such as Spybot Search & Destroy or Spyware Terminator etc. A spyware can steal sensitive information stored on your PC or hijack your Internet activities. I've installed a free version of Evidence Eraser on my computer, the program monitors and protects my personal information by erasing web footprints. It is very important don't let malicious spyware steal your personal information.
Second, have you joined any social networks such as MySpace, Facebook, Twitter, LiveJournal, Bebo or other public discussion forums? Have you posted your personal information in your personal profile? Make sure you have hidden as much as possible on your personal profile. Logout your account and take a look at your profile as a regular visitor. Some social networking websites expose your email address, name, and location by default.
Third, some websites such as NatiaonalCelluarDirectory.com use techniques to trick users to register their personal information (name, address, cell phone # etc)before make search of other people's cell phone numbers. Some users want to save a few dollars and provided their personal information. They don't aware these information in turn were sold by data brokers at hundreds of dollars. These data brokers sell the same information to hundreds of people search databases. Save a few dollars on cell phone number search could cost you hundreds of dollars to remove it. Removing personal information from hundreds of Internet databases is not an easy task if you have not read this report.
And last, the most serious personal information exposure is from these search databases specialized in collecting and providing background check and personal record retrievals.
Their information are collected from various data sources, or bought from data brokers, utility companies, and some confidential sources.
Clearly, the best way to remove your private information is cut the throat - find the data sources feeding these search sites. In most cases, you can make request to remove your personal information through opt-out process. The problem is, none of these search sites would tell you where their data sources come from, this is what this report is trying to accomplish.
Next, I will show you steps to identify these data sources.
What Are The Names of Major Personal Info Databases on the Internet?
How many people search databases? Where to find my information from public source?
There are hundreds people search and phone search websites, do you need to go through all these websites to remove your personal information? The answer is NO.It is true that there are hundreds of websites claimed to provide background checks and personal information, but most of them are affiliated with a few powerful Internet personal search engines.
Even people and phone searches at Google, Yahoo, Lycos, Whowhere etc are all powered by one company!
It costs a lot of money and special efforts to attain, maintain, and update millions of personal records. If you can remove your personal information from big Internet search databases powers Google, Yahoo, Private Eyes etc, chances are, you can make your private information less visible from public search.
After my extensive research, here are the major people search databases on the Internet. I suggest you to go through one of them each day, in a few days, your most concerned private information shall be deleted from major public data sources.
The reason why it takes so long to remove was because some search sites require you to send a formal removal request through regular mail. Some of them are very tough to grant you opt out.
The very top powerful databases are serious in invading your personal privacy, Besides your name, address, and phone number, they also offer extensive personal background check about you. these websites have hundreds of smaller sites follow them. Detailed steps on how to remove them are explained one by one.
(1) Intelius.com
(2) Acxiom.com
(3) USsearch.com
(4) Google.com
(5) Yahoo.com
Whitepages.com, whowhere.com, zabasearch.com, privateeyes.com, infospace.com and some others all explained below.
Detailed Procedures on Removing Your Personal Info from Public Data Sources
(1) Intelius.com is the largest personal information search engine on Internet, its target market is every Internet visitor. Many background search websites are affiliated with Intelius.com. See the end of this section on what popular personal information search websites are affiliated with Intelius. Intelius sells background information to anybody on anyone regardless who you are (unless you take an action to block it). Their reports include your name, address, date of birth, court records, and many other private information as I mentioned above.As a courtesy, Intelius can 'opt out' your specific information from the Intelius's Search service. Your name as it appears in a particular record and the associated identifying information such as your address and phone number will be suppressed.
To remove your personal information from Intelius, they need some documents from you to confirm your identity. There are two ways to show your identity: (1) You would need to fax a copy of your driver license, you can cross-out your photo and license number, they only require your name, address and DOB; (2) Send them a notarized form confirms your identity.
Here is the detailed instruction from Intelius on how to remove your personal information from them.
(2) Acxiom.com is the biggest personal information data provider. It has been described as "one of the biggest companies you've never heard of." I used to trade its stock, I have a pretty good idea about this company. I read their 10Q and 10K annual reports. From reading their SEC reports, I learned all big search engines such as Google.com, Yahoo.com, Lycos.com, WhoWhere.com, Netscape.com are powered by Acxiom. Last year, Acxiom generated over $1.4 billion revenue from selling personal information. If you want to remove your private information from major search engines like Googe or Yahoo, this is the first step you should take - have Acxiom remove your personal information from the data source.
Acxiom has two databases. One database provide background check for businesses and law enforcements, and another database is provided for general public which powers the search eingines. The data for businesses and law enforcements includes very senstitve financial information and social security numbers, your personal information cannot be removed from this database, but you can select to remove your personal information from the general public database. You can make such a requst through email or phone call. Visit Privacy Policy for details on how to remove your data from Acxiom or email privacy@acxiom.com or call 1-877-774-2094.
(3) USsearch.com : You might have heard or seen USSearch.com from TV or radio advertisements. Many websites are affilated with USsearch.com. Like Intelus, they sell your background information to anyone wants to spend $10 to check it. You can make a request to remove your personal records from them via a postal mail. You need to include your name and DOB in the mail letter. In addition, they want you to list the former addresses of 15 years as well as the aliases you use. The best way to get thiis information is to make a search at their website http://Ussearch.com, you should get the full information.
(4) WhitePages.com like a regular white page book, it has an online directory search available to anyone on Internet. The White page lists your name and address in its search results. This information is not more serious than others above. You can remove your information via an online form avaliable on their website. In the form, you fill in your name, city, and state, and give a reason to remove, in the drop down list, you can select General Privacy Concerns as the reason to remove.
(5) Google.com - the most popular and #1 search engine is Google. Google also has its own personal information database, its data feed is from Acxiom.com. Put your home phone number at Google search box, you can instantly see your name, home address, map, driving direction. If you want to delete your information from Google, here is the link. If you want to delete your information completely from Google search results (Google indexed from various Internet sources), it would be a very tough task. It would need a court order to do so. Please read the section on "Remove Your Personal Information from State and City Records " and see how it was done recently.
Yahoo and Lycos People Search is also powered by Acxiom, if you have requested to remove from Acxiom, your private info is less visible at Google, Yahoo, Lycos, Whowhere, Private Eyes etc. If you still want to remove very basic info from Yahoo, visit Yahoo People Search
(6) Peoplefinders.com: Peoplefinders.com require you to write a letter and signed by you with the following information in the letter, your name, address, former addresses going back to 20 years, DOB. Refering to Peoplefinders.com above for mailing address. Its main database is from Intelius.com. If you have taken care of Intelius, your personal data should be cut to Peoplefinders.
(7) Privateeye.com , publicrecordsnow.com and a few others are using the same database. They also require you to send a letter to remove your personal information from their database. Here is the directions on how to remove your private information from privateeye.com. It is worth to note Privateeye's data feed is also from Acxiom.
(8) Anywho.com, Address.com, Infospace.com, backgroundcheckgateway.com, 99lists.com, Peoplefinder.com, Peoplelookup.com, Phonebook.com, thepublicrecords.com, Zabasearch.com etc are all associated with Intelius.com on personal background information check. Most of these sites provide phone number and address search only, they mostly not contain more private information than the regular white pages.
(9) If you concerned about name/address search at ZabaSearch (which shows your history of address changes), you can contact ZabaSearch to remove you information from their search engine. ZabaSearch has an option out feature (link) right after you clicked your name. Here's the latest contact information if you prefer to contact them by mail: Zaba, Inc. 22647 Ventura Blvd., #323 Woodland Hills, CA 91364 Agent for Service of Process Richard Mooney 560 Nussuib St., #2500 San Francisco, CA 94105
Here's the address you can send your written removal request to Zabasearch:
ZabaTools
2828 Cochran Street #397
Simi Valley, California 93065
And here's what information you shal include in the mail.
There are a few websites claim to remove your personal info from Internet databases or search engines. Some sites claim to help you to remove your name completely from Internet As you have seen, i
Remove Your Personal Information from State and City Records
it varies depends on the state and city rules and polices on personal records
Interestingly enough, according to Internet documents, most sensitive personal information are leaked from the records of the states and counties.In a recent news, Johnston County officials mistakenly posted a file with thousands of names, addresses, Social Security numbers and cell phone numbers on the county Web site. A judge ordered Google.com to remove remnants of personal information on Johnston County residents that still show up on Google search engine. Officials said the information might have been online for as much as six weeks before they found out, but getting the private information removed from Google search took a court order, and it is a tough task for Google to filter out too.
Again, all these private information won't escape the greedy eyes of online data brokers, even after Google stopped indexing them, these information should be in the databases of people search engines.
Some states and counties would allow you to remove/block some personal records from showing in the public.
In most cases, it would require a court order to stop showing your private information from state or county public records.
I have collected all necessary information on how to remove your sensitive personal data from each state. Because this report is growing bigger as more information is added, I have to dedicate a seperate len. It is very length, each state treats the situtation differently, I've to list all 50 states.
For more information on state records, please read:
(1) Report from NASS.ORG, it contains very detailed information on how the states put public records on the Internet, and they have proposals to the state on how to protect sensitive information.
(2) Open Government Guide - it contain information on every state's open records and open meetings laws. Each state's section is arranged according to a standard outline, making it easy to compare laws in various states.
Tips for Protecting Your Personal Information from FTC and others Good Sources
- FTC Privacy: Tips for Protecting Your Personal Information
- From FTC.GOV:FTC website has an excellent article on how to protect your personal information. This is a substract from the FTC article:From the article, The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) encourages you to make sure your transactions - online and off - are secure and your personal information is protected. The FTC offers these tips below to help you manage your personal information wisely on Internet, and to help minimize its misuse by others.From FTC:(1) When you are buying online, before you reveal any personally identifying information, find out how it will be used and whether it will be shared with others. Ask about company's privacy policy - this is very important - how to use of your information and are they kept the informationconfidential?(2) Read the privacy policy on any website directed to children. Websites directed to children or that knowingly collect information from kids under 13 must post a notice of their information collection practices.(3) Put passwords on your all your accounts, including your credit card account, and your bank and phone accounts. Avoid using easily available information - like your mother's maiden name, your birth date, the last four digits of your SSN or your phone number - or obvious choices, like a series of consecutive numbers or your hometown football team.(3) Minimize the identification information and the number of cards you carry to what you'll actually need. Don't put all your identifying information in one holder in your purse, briefcase or backpack.(4) Keep items with personal information in a safe place. When you discard receipts, copies of credit applications, insurance forms, physician statements, bank checks and statements, expired charge cards, credit offers you get in the mail and mailing labels from magazines, tear or shred them. That will help thwart any identity thief who may pick through your trash or recycling bins to capture your personal information.(5) Consider ordering a copy of your credit report from each of the three major credit reporting agencies (CRAs) every year. Make sure it's accurate and includes only those activities you've authorized. CRAs can't charge you more than $9.00 for a copy and in some states, your credit report is free.(6) Use a secure browser when shopping online to guard the security of your transactions. When submitting your purchase information, look for the "lock" icon on the browser's status bar to be sure your information is secure during transmission.
- Privacy, Public Access & Policymaking in State Redaction Practices
- From NASS.ORG:This white paper is written by The National Association of Secretaries of State (NASS). This white paper "Privacy, Public Access & Policymaking in State Redaction Practices" is specifically written for state and local leaders on how to copy with data security in public records across the Internet.The paper explored the issue of information leaking and sought ways to provide policymakers to remove Social Security numbers, driver licensing numbers, and other sensitive information from public documents and records. Lapses in privacy by the state governement can mean lawsuits for unintended disclosure.As a part of their open records laws, states have been working hard to make public records available online. However, state laws haven't always kept up with technology change. Secretaries of state and other stewards of public information are addressing the need to adopt new practices that protect Social Security numbers and other personal information from identity thieves and other unscrupulous viewers while maintaining records that can be used for legitimate business purposes.The white paper offers insights on common issues in developing redaction programs, as well as practical advice on identifying cost-effective solutions. A survey section includes details on redaction practices in 19 states. Additionally, the paper stresses the growing need for states to educate the public on the prevention of identity theft.In preparing this white paper, they realized that public officials can do a better job of giving citizens the advice they need to proactively protect their identity and keep personal information out of the wrong hands, especially when it comes to submitting forms to the government.
- How to Protect Your Private Information
- From THE WALLSTREET JOURNAL REPORT:SECURITY: How to Protect Your Private Information Your life is an open book online. It doesn't have to be with the right privacy protection.
- Privacy Rights
- From Privacyrights.Org:The Privacy Rights Clearinghouse is a nonprofit, consumer information and advocacy organization
- CDT Top Ten Ways to Protect Your Privacy Online
- From CDT.ORG:1. Look for privacy policies on the Web2. Get a separate email account for personal email3. Teach your kids that giving out personal information online means giving it to strangers4. Clear your memory cache after browsing5. Make sure that online forms are secure6. Reject unnecessary cookies7. Use anonymous remailers8. Encrypt your email9. Use anonymizers while browsing10. Opt-out of third party information sharingExtra! Use common sense
- Your identity...for sale
- From credit bureaus to grocers to unscrupulous brokers, there's a healthy trade in your good name
- Google to dig up more personal records
- Software to index more state files such as school test scores.Googling something or someone? If the state of Florida has public records about your subject, they might show up in your search results.Florida joins five other states - Arizona, California, Utah, Virginia and Michigan - already participating in Google's effort. Google hopes to get local governments involved in the effort.
- Open Government Guide
- The Open Government Guide is a complete compendium of information on every state's open records and open meetings laws. Each state's section is arranged according to a standard outline, making it easy to compare laws in various states. If you're a new user of this guide, be sure to read the Introductory Note and User's Guide.
- Canada Personal Information Protection Act
- Canada's Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act:The Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada has prepared this guide to help individuals learn about their rights under the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA), Canada's new private sector privacy law.PIPEDA sets ground rules for how organizations may collect, use or disclose information about you in the course of commercial activities. The law also gives you the right to see and ask for corrections to information an organization may have collected about you. If you think an organization covered by the Act is not living up to its responsibilities under the law, you have the right to lodge an official complaint.What is personal information?"Personal information" under the Act means information about an "identifiable individual."For example, "personal information" includes yourname, age, weight, heightmedical recordsincome, purchases and spending habitsrace, ethnic origin and colourblood type, DNA code, fingerprintsmarital status and religioneducation; andhome address and phone number"Personal information" does not include the name, job title, business address or office telephone number of an employee of an organization.How does the Act protect my personal information?The Act gives you control over your personal information by requiring organizations to obtain your consent to collect, use or disclose information about you. The Act confers certain rights on individuals, and imposes specific obligations on organizations.
- Beyond the basics: Protect personal information
- Best practices for preventing identity theft and protecting your privacy online.
- What to do if you're a victim of fraud
- When you use a credit card, you can be vulnerable to fraud, whether you pay online, over the phone, or even in person at your neighborhood grocery store.If you think you've been the victim of fraud or a scam, immediately follow these steps. The faster you contact the proper authorities, the more likely you are to minimize the damage a scammer can do to your identity, your credit, and your bank account.
- How to limit your personal data in online directories
- Internet phone books, people-finding services, and other online directories make it almost impossible to keep your personal contact information entirely off the Web.It's fairly easy for anyone to find your name, phone number, home address, or e-mail address-for business or social purposes, advertising or marketing, or even criminal intent.Here are a few ways to help control the amount of personal information you give to the world
- Help protect your privacy in online communities
- Many Internet users belong to one or more online communities, where they can share ideas and information with people who enjoy similar interests.Such communities include e-mail distribution lists, message boards, newsgroups, blogging sites, social networking sites, and more.You can help protect your privacy and still enjoy the benefits of these groups by following a few basic guidelines.
- Beware of scams when job-hunting online
- Phony job opportunitiesBy creating phony job ads, scammers hope to fool job hunters into sending them personal information (called phishing). Scammers post their ads on legitimate job sites.Phony job ads often use familiar-looking or convincing company logos and verbiage. Sometimes they even provide links to fake Web sites that appear to be those of real organizations.
- Genealogy: Avoid common scams while you seek and share your family history online
- Before you start digging for your family roots online, check out the following guidelines to help spot and avoid common genealogy scams.
- Video: Protect the privacy of your personal information
- Watch this video to find out more about protecting your personal information so you can help to avoid identity theft and other kinds of fraud when you go online.
- Cyberdating: Staying safe while having fun
- Provided here are the basic tips for online dating safety, intended as a quick reference guide. Do not be embarrassed to insist on these rules. If your cyberdate is genuine they will understand and respect your wishes.We have much more detailled information about cyber romance and online dating safety in our Internet 101 section.
- Reverse Phone Lookup Review
- Provide honest reviews on reverse cell phone number lookups. Using a cell phone to send and receive text messages and/or images, is very similar to using e-mail or instant messaging and some of the same safety rules apply. You cell (mobile) phone can be a direct link between you and spammers, scammers, identity thieves, online predators and cyberbullies. On this page you will find some basic tips on cell (mobile) phone safety:
- Wireless Phone User Information
- Provide information on wireless users and wireless providers. Keeping your Cell (Mobile) phone and yourself safe means understanding the potential risks and how to protect against them. Precautions and solutions can differ slightly, depending on where you live. The information on this page relates directly to the United States of America and the United Kingdom, with information on how to find similar information for other countries
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Vigilant wrote
I am going to do something and looking for people who will stand with me . We need one site that allows you opt out that all these companies need to abide by. Just like the do not call list. I am going to start a letter writing campaign but need to know who will support my efforts. There are power in numbers and we need to take a stand. I am also a victim of stalker and I am going to take my life back!
Thanks so much for the information but there should be a consistent process and done only once.
Posted October 29, 2009
mylaine wrote
i think people should have the option to have or not to have their info posted. If they choose not to have their info posted, they should file a form with their attorney general's office. The companies then should be given 1 month to make sure the info is NOT THERE. It the info is still there after 1 month from when indiv filed the complaint. The company/companies should pay $5 a month for every month it is still out there.
Posted October 25, 2009
scared to death wrote
Thank for all this informaton, I am just getting started removing my personal information. everyone needs to read all these comments. This is no ones fault but mine. I released this info. I just need to get rid of it. I think the comsumers should contact the federal goverment on this issue. If we all stick together, maybe we could get something done. I agree the authorities should be able to see this info. for our protection. I also, challenge everyone out there to contact their local, state and national leaders, to have this stopped.
Thanks
Posted October 14, 2009
N/A wrote
Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! I am being stalked and your advice is so incredibly helpful. It is so overwhelming, but thanks to your article, I don't feel so alone and that there is some hope.
Posted September 19, 2009
Keran wrote
Thanks this is great. Very disappointed with US Search, shouldn't they be held to the privacy policy, I also can't believe it's legal, they're the only ones that charge a fee to remove information. I may file a complaint against them with the FTC.
Dedicated- I would suggest signing up for Google Voice. You can give that number out instead of your actual number to businesses. I also have a unlisted number, but only give it out to family.
Posted September 15, 2009
WAKE UP AMERICA!!! wrote
It's way past the beginning of the end unless we agree to do something collective about it.
First we need to take back our country from the political machine we created with our own laziness. We have an internet and all of these data bases but do you think you will find Barrack Obama or George W. Bush in them? Do you think our elected officials are going to do a damn thing about your information being sold? We are in over our heads!!!
It's now such a big mess that we have to start at the beginning again to untangle the ropes that the socialist movement has around our necks. What you don't think our Government can't fail from within? I have news for you it's happening just like communism fell so is America. Lets start by voting all the socialist followers out of office this election period coming up for congress and senators. Go anything but democrat or republican.
Vote for an independent or libertarian in every race but not before you check them out on the net. Join the 9-12 movement
Posted September 14, 2009
Concerned wrote
There should be a law against websites that post your private information without your approval. There are people out there not just looking to market you but, harm you or your family. Why should I have to pay some search engine to remove my information. They didn't pay me to disclose it. Now, I have contact all the aforementioned websites to remove my information and pay for it to happen. This is bullshit! When somebody dies because they were stalked maybe then there will be a limit to how much information can be publicly shared.
Posted September 06, 2009
Was Anonymous wrote
I have found information on my arrests on a website that pull date from a public database (Police). Any idea how I can get it removed from this Public side that is accessible to anyone? Thanks
Posted September 02, 2009
Coco wrote
in reply to tammy
This is for everybody, please read the book "How to Be Invisible" by J.J. Luna. In addition to using the above techniques to remove as much information as possible, use this book to cover as much of your identity as possible going forward. One of the best tips in the book is to STOP using your home address on EVERYTHING. Get a mail box address at places like the UPS Store or Mailboxes Etc. because it will not have the letters "P.O." in the address. Preferably, not in your current city. Most of us live within at least 15 miles of another town/city, so it would be best to get mail box there. Then just drive to it once a week to pick up mail.
Posted August 29, 2009
No Name Please wrote
Sorry I didn't give my name but if someone really want to find me I know they can. I am sure that this squidoo server is tracking my IP address. This is excellent. I never used my real name on the internet, yes since 1995 and there are only a couple of places when I did Google search, Amazon and LinkedIn. But I know that if someone paid $19.95 to intellius I will be found. I have a home and my information is in public records. People are blaming the Govt for letting this happen, the Govt is not going to stop until we start complaning!
I like the piece about paying some company to remove you and you have to send them your addresses for some years back. I know something about database/business intelligence and I immediately suspected that given 10 years information is a Torjan horse, you might as well hand a sign in front of your lawn, "come on in and find anything about me."
I wonder if there is really much we can do about it.
Posted August 21, 2009
star wrote
in reply to abyy yup ussearch charges a $10 fee to do a privacy lock "WHICH REALLY SUCKS!"and it is only valid for an year and again if you dont pay the them the next year to keep your info private it just pops up!on their website all over again!ussearch needs to be sued for doing this and also when i called their no to find out about this a rude a** woman answered and was so rude and unfriendly!i paid $10 online to ussearch to have my personal data removed and guess ussearch is one greedy &nasty organization making money both ways charging people if they prefer to have a privacy lock put on their info and on the other hand selling your info to those morons out there willing to spend a $10 on such heinious websites to steal your identity!I thank the author of this article for her splendid job and for a wealth of information which is helping many people to protect their personal info onlinine.GREAT JOB&THANKYOU SO MUCH!BLESS YOUR HEART!
Posted August 18, 2009
Marked for Death wrote
I am a victim of stalking. the stalker told the court that he found me on the internet. and after he gets out of prison he will continue to look for me. I left the state and moved across the country, and in less than 5 minutes, i found my new location on the internet. When he kills me, my family will file a lawsuit against all these companies!
Posted August 16, 2009
Marked for Death wrote
I am a victim of stalking. the stalker told the court that he found me on the internet. and after he gets out of prison he will continue to look for me. I left the state and moved across the country, and in less than 5 minutes, i found my new location on the internet. When he kills me, my family will file a lawsuit against all these companies!
Posted August 16, 2009
bloggingbetty wrote
not sure if I should even leave my name after this excellent article. Pleassssse consider writing a book on this topic. Thanks and I appreciate your sharing.
Posted August 14, 2009
Michael wrote
Also, you are a godsend. This is the most thorough, detailed article about this sensitive subject. Job well done, and keep it up.
Also for US Search they do NOT need your social security number. People please NEVER give this to anyone ever if you can help it. When asking these sites to remove your name, only give them the information that you see posted. DO NOT give them old addresses and what not b/c then they have even more information on you.... and the fact that they charge you? DISGUSTING! I seriously plan to take them and these other companies to court one day.
They are going down, unless they stop with all their dirty practices- charging us, seeking more information, etc.
Posted August 06, 2009
WhyohWhy wrote
I can't believe the government allows this. This is a total invasion of privacy and it absolutely sickens me.
Please, if ANYONE who reads this knows someone whos a law official or in government or in congress or whatever- please tell them to work on a law/bill that shuts these websites down and or makes removing the information MUCH easier... i cant believe some of them try to charge you. That's sick!
Posted August 06, 2009
Why is no one warning about USsearch removal?? wrote
Be careful with USsearch . com. I requested they remove my name and addresses from their website. I sent my last 10 addresses and now I'm receiving collection notices for things that I thought were settled over 10 years ago... USsearch basically sells your information you send to be removed TO collection agencies, how this is legal is beyond me? BE CAREFUL!...
Yes you get removed from their site but there are side-effects, not to mention I'm sure you remove from one search site, and gets sold to another one. There's just too many and it should all be illegal to buy.....
Posted July 31, 2009
bobby lupo wrote
Thank you so much for writing this article...this is BS that people can find your address from the internet...THIS SHOULD BE STOPPED BY THE GOVERNMENT IMMEDIATELY!!!!
Posted July 31, 2009
tammy wrote
I rhink this a real intrusion to the privacy of ordinary American citizens making us prey to any type of dirty, nosy, self promoting, humans if you want to call them that. We need to get together to outlaw and send these nosy scumbags flying out of our personal busines in order to stop them from profiting and promoting our personal information to sleeze bags that rip us off. The unsuspecting American citizens need to be protedted by laws. Where is our government to protect us when we need them from hackers, identity theives, stalkers, and any other criminals that need our personal information? HELP US! WE CANNOT LIVE LIKE THIS ANY LONGER, IT HAS BECOME A VERY DANGEROUS WORLD AND HAS GIVEN THE CRIMINALS AND DECREPIT HUMANS MORE RIGHTS AND EASE IN TAKING AWAY FROM US WHAT WE HAVE WORKED SO HARD TO KEEP AS OUR PRIVATE IDENTITY!!! DOES'T ANYONE CARE????
Posted July 24, 2009
Re: Lex wrote
I agree with Lex. These companies must be stopped. They are making money off of my personal information that I never gave them permission to use and threatening my personal security and safety to boot! How would they like it if I took out a page wide newspaper ad listing all of their personal information including maps to their homes and their children's names for everyone to see for the price of a paper? I think that most people know what is right and what is wrong. How can they think this is right? Won't anyone stop them?
Posted July 20, 2009
Dedicated wrote
Several information sites list my unlisted / unpublished phone number to the previous owners of the number. I keep trying to remove it, but some companies won't remove it because they say it is that way in the public records. How can I get the previous owners to remove my number from their records? I get the feeling that they might be purposefully giving out their old number in order to protect their current number. That's great for them but stinks for me. Other companies require that I give them my personal information in order to have the correction made. I am paying for an unlisted number, but instead, I'm only getting a hassle.
Posted July 20, 2009
Laurel wrote
I did not realize till a few minutes ago how munch information can be found on a person, that is personal how can these companies get away with this?
Posted July 17, 2009
abyy wrote
i am confused... ussearch wants $10 to remove my info- is this legal?
Posted July 02, 2009
cshigenaga yahoo wrote
That is an interesting idea. Where are you with this?
Posted June 08, 2009
ruby wrote
Thank you so much for this valuable information. REALLY appreciate it.
Posted June 05, 2009
sunshine wrote
Thank you for making these information available! I was wondering if I have these company delete my information from their website, will my future hiring company who uses these services won't be able to run the background check on me because I have deleted it? Do you think I should not have them delete it or it's ok to do so?
Posted May 27, 2009
casey wrote
in reply to frank Frank, I had my info removed from ussearch (as well as the rest of my family) and did not have to provide any SSNs. It's just an online form that you fill out, print, then mail in. it actually worked pretty well.
and to the author of this blog page, do you a list of other sites powered by Acxiom? I'm having trouble contacting their privacy dept.
Posted May 19, 2009
pissed off wrote
My mother emailed me a link to a site titled "pipple.com" where I found personal info, including info about my relatives. As victim of identity theft I am so glad to have found this site. I have contacted all of the major companies already in an attempt to remove my information. It is so sad now that in society not even a person's individuality is above selling. Thank-you so much for sharing this with us all.
Posted May 11, 2009
Ticked wrote
I wonder if there is a way I can copyright/trademark my personal information and then sue all these companies sharing & listing my personal information without my consent! In addition, I wish the families of those victimized in crimes, due to info posted on the internet without their consent, would sue each & every company who lists personal information out of business! Anyone recall the history of the Holocaust?! If not, millions of innocent people died due to personal information being released...
Posted May 01, 2009
artsy andersen wrote
This was most informative and helpful to me! Kudos for a thorough job well done. Karen A.
Posted April 30, 2009
Patti Collins wrote
I have been trying to get Acxiom to remove my personal information from their database. When I first contacted them by email, they contacted me and told me they would be mailing me a form. When I receive the form, fill it out and return it to their office. I never received. I have contacted them three (3) times in the last 30 days. They never respond. How do you make a corporation like this comply with your request? HELP!
Posted April 20, 2009
Temp_Girl wrote...
One of my least favorites is pipl.com. There's a lot of stuff on that search engine, too, and it's very thorough. If you have a very unique name, it's very easy for people to find you on pipl.com -- as well as the address where you registered to vote! Thanks for writing this; this is very helpful information!
Posted April 19, 2009
TopStyleTravel wrote...
Great info to keep personal info private. Good detail and resources. Congrats on the Top 100!
Posted April 17, 2009
MartinTheGregerson wrote...
Absoluty nice Lens. After im ready with studying i have to clean the web from my name to find a job. Thanks alot
Posted April 14, 2009
unclevlad wrote...
Very awesome lens with tons of good info. One thing I wanted to mention is that you should avoid selling an old computer without first cleaning its system registry, as that might have a record of any files that existed on your computer, even if they were deleted.
I have a lens on protecting your personal information (http://www.squidoo.com/spyware-removal-tools) where it talks more about this.
Posted April 13, 2009
Lex wrote
This is BULL! Zabasearch lists addresses I never lived at but relatives have, it lists my birthdate, for a fee it will list my social security number, it has my unpublished number and email address, it is an identity thief's dream! How can this possibly be legal. This is libel and slander as by definition spreading false information about someone that can damage them to a person or persons is slander and libel! I think someone needs to get on this because this invasion is terribly dangerous. Zabasearch is dangerous as is Intelius! They need to be stopped!
Posted March 10, 2009
Tracey wrote
I just learned today that my cell phone number, address and pics of my home are easily available online. There is even a satellite pic of my car in the driveway! I am completely freaked out about this. I don't want anyone being able to search my personal life. I have already started to take the steps to try limit my personal information.
Posted March 09, 2009
fred wrote
a company asked for my SS# ,& were very aggressive about wanting al kinds of personal info car tag registion number etc..that was red flag then they did not want to refunf my money 7 threatened to ruin my credit if I reported them to the credit card
Posted February 21, 2009
Who Cares!? wrote
I agree with Frank 100% - -- providing SS# to be removed from a database --- seems like a method of phishing.
Disinformation - to those who don't needd to know - seems like a seems like an interesting solution.
Posted February 18, 2009
