4 ms·

I'm looking at their list of websites https://www.privacyduck.com/services/ https://www.privacyduck.com/services/ and it looks like this is pretty similar to se

I'm looking at their list of websites https://www.privacyduck.com/services/ https://www.privacyduck.com/services/ and it looks like this is pretty similar to services that will pay to remove your mugshot from the internet... It will probably help deter people who aren't trying super hard but it's unlikely to actually help defend a dedicated attacker

anigbrowl 6y ago
I haven't had to use privacyduck for myself but I'm willing to give them a qualified endorsement based on the testimony of people I know who have used their service and said they were quite dedicated rather than just being an easy cash shakedown. That said if they're more useful if you have reason to expect you're going to be doxxed. If it has already happened and your info found its way onto the dark web then you've got bigger problems. Luckily that's not the OP's situation, but for a person who finds themselves unwillingly in the public eye and whose information has been exposed to malicious actors it's a difficult judgment call. If they're experiencing such harassment as to fear for their physical safety, that requires a lawyer's help, and probably involves moving home setting up a shell company to manage financial affairs/bills/property titles. That would generally be enough to shield one from inquiries other than law enforcement, but is obviously going to be very expensive. I'm not qualified to advise anyone on the specifics of how to go about that. If you don't have such resources, think about moving - not so easy to track if you sublet - and most important, change your phone number. Switch to a pay-as-you-go service and use gift cards to develop a parallel financial identity. Your phone # is the biggest giveaway, followed by bills and property records. That won't hide you from private detectives or professional snoopers but will be sufficient to avoid an internet hate machine.
- cutemonster 6y ago
  > Your phone # is the biggest giveaway How does that work? (Sorry for maybe a bit silly question) > setting up a shell company Can't the doxxers find out who owns the shell company? Or they won't know about the existence of a shell company? Or how does it work > use gift cards One would buy gift cards to oneself, use them oneself, right?
  - anigbrowl 6y ago
    People like to hang on to the same phone # so that makes it super-easy for data brokers/snoops to track. Yes, people could find out who owns a shell company, but that's the kind of work private detectors or financial investigators do, and they don't do it unless they get paid, which is an investment most doxxers wouldn't want to make. Transparency varies from state to state, but some states let you set up corporations with very little transparency, iirc Delaware specializes in this to the point that it's become a problem for financial laundering/tax avoidance, eg https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/apr/06/panama-papers-us-tax-havens-delaware https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/apr/06/panama-paper... You can buy gift cards that work with Visa or Mastercard, and some vendors will let you reload them (I think Walmart does this). That would give you a fair degree of privacy for doing things online and in combination with other things make you invisible from all but very dedicated investigators (or law enforcement). by the way, this article, while aimed at political activists, has lots of useful information and links on how to prevent and/or deal with such a situation: https://crimethinc.com/2020/08/26/doxcare-prevention-and-aftercare-for-those-targeted-by-doxxing-and-political-harassment https://crimethinc.com/2020/08/26/doxcare-prevention-and-aft...
    - cutemonster 6y ago
      Thanks for the explanations and the links. The doxx prevention article was very informative

anigbrowl 6y ago

I haven't had to use privacyduck for myself but I'm willing to give them a qualified endorsement based on the testimony of people I know who have used their service and said they were quite dedicated rather than just being an easy cash shakedown. That said if they're more useful if you have reason to expect you're going to be doxxed. If it has already happened and your info found its way onto the dark web then you've got bigger problems. Luckily that's not the OP's situation, but for a person who finds themselves unwillingly in the public eye and whose information has been exposed to malicious actors it's a difficult judgment call. If they're experiencing such harassment as to fear for their physical safety, that requires a lawyer's help, and probably involves moving home setting up a shell company to manage financial affairs/bills/property titles. That would generally be enough to shield one from inquiries other than law enforcement, but is obviously going to be very expensive. I'm not qualified to advise anyone on the specifics of how to go about that. If you don't have such resources, think about moving - not so easy to track if you sublet - and most important, change your phone number. Switch to a pay-as-you-go service and use gift cards to develop a parallel financial identity. Your phone # is the biggest giveaway, followed by bills and property records. That won't hide you from private detectives or professional snoopers but will be sufficient to avoid an internet hate machine.

cutemonster 6y ago
> Your phone # is the biggest giveaway How does that work? (Sorry for maybe a bit silly question) > setting up a shell company Can't the doxxers find out who owns the shell company? Or they won't know about the existence of a shell company? Or how does it work > use gift cards One would buy gift cards to oneself, use them oneself, right?
- anigbrowl 6y ago
  People like to hang on to the same phone # so that makes it super-easy for data brokers/snoops to track. Yes, people could find out who owns a shell company, but that's the kind of work private detectors or financial investigators do, and they don't do it unless they get paid, which is an investment most doxxers wouldn't want to make. Transparency varies from state to state, but some states let you set up corporations with very little transparency, iirc Delaware specializes in this to the point that it's become a problem for financial laundering/tax avoidance, eg https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/apr/06/panama-papers-us-tax-havens-delaware https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/apr/06/panama-paper... You can buy gift cards that work with Visa or Mastercard, and some vendors will let you reload them (I think Walmart does this). That would give you a fair degree of privacy for doing things online and in combination with other things make you invisible from all but very dedicated investigators (or law enforcement). by the way, this article, while aimed at political activists, has lots of useful information and links on how to prevent and/or deal with such a situation: https://crimethinc.com/2020/08/26/doxcare-prevention-and-aftercare-for-those-targeted-by-doxxing-and-political-harassment https://crimethinc.com/2020/08/26/doxcare-prevention-and-aft...
  - cutemonster 6y ago
    Thanks for the explanations and the links. The doxx prevention article was very informative