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> Is there any way for me to get my information removed from Equifax? No. Pay cash or get tracked.

caio1982 9y ago
Tracking is different than having your score data stored somewhere. Do you have a source for your "no" by the way? I'm genuinely curious.
- username223 9y ago
  I don't have a source, but you are the subject of Equifax's business, not a participant, so you have very little say. They scrape public data, and buy data from credit card issuers, store "loyalty" programs, etc. For the little you can do, see here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Credit_reporting_agency#United_States https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Credit_reporting_agency#United... Note that there are all sorts of unregulated ways in which companies (e.g. Facebook) use CRA data.
- kevin_thibedeau 9y ago
  All of your consumer activity is sold to data brokers. All of your financial transactions involving credit instruments is sold to data brokers. They then package your data into a profile and sell it to marketers who want to target different demographic slices and compare against competitors. Most people don't have a listing in any phone books these days yet you can type in a name and get credible hits from whitepages.com. Where do you think they get that data on names and where people live when you've never had a business relationship with them?
- astura 9y ago
  The "source" is 99.99% of financial-y things you do use data brokers, if not Equifax specifically. Got a bank account? You're in ChexSystem and/or Early Warning. Ever had a car loan? Credit card? Student loan? Mortgage? You're in TransUnion, Equifax, and Experian, plus more. Got a job at a large company? Your more likely than not to be in The Work Number. Ever return an item to the store? You're probably in The Retail Equation. Ever have car insurance, renter's insurance, and/or home owner's insurance? You're in LexusNexis. It's virtually impossible, unless you live on a homestead completely off the grid, to avoid these data brokers knowing things about you.
astura 9y ago
Paying cash doesn't guarantee you won't end up in Equifax's databases. Your employer may report your income to The Work Number (owned by Equifax), your landlord may report your payment history, etc. Furthermore, your case of "pay cash" pretty much excludes you from higher education and home ownership. Unless you are super wealthy.
- literallycancer 9y ago
  >Your employer may report your income to The Work Number (owned by Equifax), your landlord may report your payment history, etc. How is this legal?
  - astura 9y ago
    Because that information is no different than anything in your credit report. I forgot to mention the insurance companies have their own data brokers too. So you'll end up in there if you've ever had insurance.
    - craftyguy 9y ago
      So you have to be extremely wealthy in order to pay cash everywhere, pay the obamacare insurance penalty plus any medical costs paid for by you out of pocket in cash. Also, you cannot legally drive in most (all?) states in the US since they require having some form of insurance (typically 'liability' ins.) for your vehicle. Wow, it's impossible to not end up in any of these systems.
      - astura 9y ago
        Correct, the only way to avoid it is to live completely "off the grid," cabin in the woods style. Paradoxically, if you were extremely wealthy you'd definitely want to purchase umbrella insurance to insure that wealth!! I should mention that when I said insurance I meant car, homeowners, renters, and umbrella insurance, not medical insurance. I don't know about medical insurance and what sorts of data brokers they may use. Banks use data brokers when you have a savings or checking account too.

caio1982 9y ago

Tracking is different than having your score data stored somewhere. Do you have a source for your "no" by the way? I'm genuinely curious.

username223 9y ago
I don't have a source, but you are the subject of Equifax's business, not a participant, so you have very little say. They scrape public data, and buy data from credit card issuers, store "loyalty" programs, etc. For the little you can do, see here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Credit_reporting_agency#United_States https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Credit_reporting_agency#United... Note that there are all sorts of unregulated ways in which companies (e.g. Facebook) use CRA data.
kevin_thibedeau 9y ago
All of your consumer activity is sold to data brokers. All of your financial transactions involving credit instruments is sold to data brokers. They then package your data into a profile and sell it to marketers who want to target different demographic slices and compare against competitors. Most people don't have a listing in any phone books these days yet you can type in a name and get credible hits from whitepages.com. Where do you think they get that data on names and where people live when you've never had a business relationship with them?
astura 9y ago
The "source" is 99.99% of financial-y things you do use data brokers, if not Equifax specifically. Got a bank account? You're in ChexSystem and/or Early Warning. Ever had a car loan? Credit card? Student loan? Mortgage? You're in TransUnion, Equifax, and Experian, plus more. Got a job at a large company? Your more likely than not to be in The Work Number. Ever return an item to the store? You're probably in The Retail Equation. Ever have car insurance, renter's insurance, and/or home owner's insurance? You're in LexusNexis. It's virtually impossible, unless you live on a homestead completely off the grid, to avoid these data brokers knowing things about you.

astura 9y ago

Paying cash doesn't guarantee you won't end up in Equifax's databases. Your employer may report your income to The Work Number (owned by Equifax), your landlord may report your payment history, etc. Furthermore, your case of "pay cash" pretty much excludes you from higher education and home ownership. Unless you are super wealthy.

literallycancer 9y ago
>Your employer may report your income to The Work Number (owned by Equifax), your landlord may report your payment history, etc. How is this legal?
- astura 9y ago
  Because that information is no different than anything in your credit report. I forgot to mention the insurance companies have their own data brokers too. So you'll end up in there if you've ever had insurance.
  - craftyguy 9y ago
    So you have to be extremely wealthy in order to pay cash everywhere, pay the obamacare insurance penalty plus any medical costs paid for by you out of pocket in cash. Also, you cannot legally drive in most (all?) states in the US since they require having some form of insurance (typically 'liability' ins.) for your vehicle. Wow, it's impossible to not end up in any of these systems.
    - astura 9y ago
      Correct, the only way to avoid it is to live completely "off the grid," cabin in the woods style. Paradoxically, if you were extremely wealthy you'd definitely want to purchase umbrella insurance to insure that wealth!! I should mention that when I said insurance I meant car, homeowners, renters, and umbrella insurance, not medical insurance. I don't know about medical insurance and what sorts of data brokers they may use. Banks use data brokers when you have a savings or checking account too.