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Ask HN: How do background check sites get their data?
I went on one and it had my address and email (both accurate). Even worse, a reverse lookup on my cell looked pretty accurate too.
*Note I only saw the preview pages...but the asteriked details looked accurate
- grandalf 17y agoCredit rating agencies (experian, equifax, trans union) collect all the data whenever you apply for a credit card, and then re-sell it to other businesses -- this is the data that experian sells with many of its demographic products, for example. They also have metrics for your income, purchasing history, etc. Someone can buy a list of email addresses of people with income > $x who have purchased a car in the past 6 months, etc. There is also a way that they obtain data via public records, etc., simply by requesting it from each municipality.
- deleted 17y ago[deleted]