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This kind of thing feels better left to trusted 1st parties, oneself. Link to a list of data broker opt out methods:https://github.com/yaelwrites/Big-Ass-Data-B

by j-bos 3y ago

This kind of thing feels better left to trusted 1st parties, oneself. Link to a list of data broker opt out methods:https://github.com/yaelwrites/Big-Ass-Data-Broker-Opt-Out-List https://github.com/yaelwrites/Big-Ass-Data-Broker-Opt-Out-Li...

ugh123 3y ago
Great list! My first thought was: "why stick all this info in a readme and not some nice json list I could scrape". I then thought: "maybe I can just have my AI friend scan the readme and do all the opt-out work for me"
emmanueloga_ 3y ago
has anyone tried the service advertised by the author of the list? Looks interesting / useful. [1] -- 1: https://securityplanner.consumerreports.org/ https://securityplanner.consumerreports.org/
dheera 3y ago
I used Onerep until I was told it was shady. I now use Optery (https://www.optery.com/ https://www.optery.com/) which is a YC company. I'd love to hear if there are any issues with it. The problem is there are 200+ data brokers out there and I don't have time to deal with that many.
- crispyambulance 3y ago
  Yeah, I saw when they announced on here, I think. One question: Do you know if they pay the data brokers a percentage?
  - dheera 3y ago
    I have no idea. I hope not. They submit opt-out removals though, so one would think that if they paid the data broker they would not have to go through that trouble?
- beyondd 3y ago
  Optery has been flagging the conflict of interest between OneRep and Nuwber for years and put a statement out with our position following the Krebs article: https://www.optery.com/optery-statement-following-investigative-report-on-onerep-by-krebs-on-security/ https://www.optery.com/optery-statement-following-investigat...
- berniedurfee 3y ago
  Why is it monthly? What happens if you don’t renew?
  - dheera 3y ago
    Yeah I have the same concern. Are there any better options, short of hiring a human secretary, which I don't have the money for? My first priority is not having my personal info listed on the internet; ethics of where my money is going is second.
- kanary 3y ago
  Kanary is a grant recipient from YC and does data deletion as well. Main difference from Optery is simplicity of the tiers (there is only 1 premium tier that covers all sites + hands on support). While Optery's b2b tooling is more built out than ours. We have a 'downgrade to a free tier' option if you are paying and want to take a break from the service. We delete all data if you decide to cancel, but you can join back any time. If it's not clear from the username, I'm on the team.
crispyambulance 3y ago
Yeah, I did this, following one of the guides (possibly the one linked in the parent). It definitely worked with the worst of these bottom-feeders: mylife.com It involved phone call to an Indian call-center. While remaining polite (not easy) but persistent, I had to listen to multiple dumb pitches about their "services". I stuck with it and in the end they removed my name but indicated it "may" come back. That was in 2018. My name no longer appears when searching their website. I do, however, get MULTIPLE garbage emails per day from mylife indicating "changes" about my profile and that of my family and neighbors. I have avoided dealing with 3rd parties for this stuff. In addition to the fact that they may, as Krebs indicated, racketeer with the scummy brokers there's ALSO another concern: Some of them PAY the data brokers a percentage of the fees they collect to remove names. The last thing I want is for these bastards to get any money for their activities. BTW, the founder and CEO of Mylife.com is Jeffrey Tinsley. He appears to have made quite a fortune doing this data-broker shit.

by j-bos 3y ago

ugh123 3y ago

Great list! My first thought was: "why stick all this info in a readme and not some nice json list I could scrape". I then thought: "maybe I can just have my AI friend scan the readme and do all the opt-out work for me"

emmanueloga_ 3y ago

has anyone tried the service advertised by the author of the list? Looks interesting / useful. [1] -- 1: https://securityplanner.consumerreports.org/ https://securityplanner.consumerreports.org/

dheera 3y ago

I used Onerep until I was told it was shady. I now use Optery (https://www.optery.com/ https://www.optery.com/) which is a YC company. I'd love to hear if there are any issues with it. The problem is there are 200+ data brokers out there and I don't have time to deal with that many.

crispyambulance 3y ago
Yeah, I saw when they announced on here, I think. One question: Do you know if they pay the data brokers a percentage?
- dheera 3y ago
  I have no idea. I hope not. They submit opt-out removals though, so one would think that if they paid the data broker they would not have to go through that trouble?
beyondd 3y ago
Optery has been flagging the conflict of interest between OneRep and Nuwber for years and put a statement out with our position following the Krebs article: https://www.optery.com/optery-statement-following-investigative-report-on-onerep-by-krebs-on-security/ https://www.optery.com/optery-statement-following-investigat...
berniedurfee 3y ago
Why is it monthly? What happens if you don’t renew?
- dheera 3y ago
  Yeah I have the same concern. Are there any better options, short of hiring a human secretary, which I don't have the money for? My first priority is not having my personal info listed on the internet; ethics of where my money is going is second.
kanary 3y ago
Kanary is a grant recipient from YC and does data deletion as well. Main difference from Optery is simplicity of the tiers (there is only 1 premium tier that covers all sites + hands on support). While Optery's b2b tooling is more built out than ours. We have a 'downgrade to a free tier' option if you are paying and want to take a break from the service. We delete all data if you decide to cancel, but you can join back any time. If it's not clear from the username, I'm on the team.

crispyambulance 3y ago

Yeah, I did this, following one of the guides (possibly the one linked in the parent). It definitely worked with the worst of these bottom-feeders: mylife.com It involved phone call to an Indian call-center. While remaining polite (not easy) but persistent, I had to listen to multiple dumb pitches about their "services". I stuck with it and in the end they removed my name but indicated it "may" come back. That was in 2018. My name no longer appears when searching their website. I do, however, get MULTIPLE garbage emails per day from mylife indicating "changes" about my profile and that of my family and neighbors. I have avoided dealing with 3rd parties for this stuff. In addition to the fact that they may, as Krebs indicated, racketeer with the scummy brokers there's ALSO another concern: Some of them PAY the data brokers a percentage of the fees they collect to remove names. The last thing I want is for these bastards to get any money for their activities. BTW, the founder and CEO of Mylife.com is Jeffrey Tinsley. He appears to have made quite a fortune doing this data-broker shit.