Heads up ... Privacy issue to check out

[Rozzie]

The two entries I removed in the last ten minutes are already gone. The name & state still come up in the index, but when you click through, the records are now gone.

If you are all that concerned about them having your e-mail address, just go to some free email provider online & make up a free spam mail account. Don't use it for anything "real" and just do a mass delete from time to time (or make another new account).

I think that last time I did this, it did limit how many you could remove using one email address. If you hit on that problem, just make up another fake email address. I have several...

 

[PineappleMama]

DH is on there... says you have to give your email to kill it... which means that now this site has not only your name, address, hobbies, home price etc but also your email... probably means you'll just start getting spammed there instead of telemarketers calling.

Did y'all notice at the top you can search by name, email, phone, username and friends?? Lovely.

Think maybe I'll make a new email to get rid of this thing... we get enough spam already and it makes me ill to think by getting our info removed that we'll just be giving them more ways to harass us... something seriously wrong with that.

Oh and on the home price... says this house, which we RENT, is worth 60-odd thousand... not likely... but it used to be in our landlord's elderly Mom's name so maybe her low tax rate is what they assume by??

Edit... also anyone else annoyed that you have to pay just to see what info of YOURS that they've hacked? Of course, given that Texas will sell all your DL info to anyone who pays it's not really any wonder they've got all this.

 

[Rozzie]

They haven't hacked the info. They've gathered it from other sources online. Big difference.

Those sources can include phone listings, which have your name, address, and phone number. It can include information you have entered about yourself on sites like LinkedIn, Ancestry.com, FB, Myspace, etc. It can include public tax records (many places list this publicly). It can include marriage / divorce records. Some states have those online now. Remember, too, that the 1940 census is soon to be public record. That will give another supply if info (family relationships) that can be added to such things. The 1930 records have been public for years.

Home sales, vehicle purchases (taxes, remember!) are also public record. Lots of states & other political units have these types of things online. Arrest records, sex offender lists, etc. A quick computer code to link any address to the satellite image on a site like google maps & it expands even more.

It doesn't take hacking -- just some computer coding & plenty of storage space.

At least this one has a way to remove yourself. I've had no problem & I've removed a LOT of entries for peopel.

 

[Chick_In_The_Burbs]

From what I'm understanding on this thing they're probably using the social networking sites or similar sources that require a real name and email address to link the email to the name and gathering from there. All they need really are those two basic items to do some serious digging. Awesome part is if you have something like a Facebook page then they will basically have it all.

 

[Rozzie]

Quote:
Not if you set your security settings properly...and don't do the stupid applications/games that require you to give unknown entities access to your info...

You also don't HAVE to put much info into FB -- any free e-mail address. You could put in a fake birthday. Don't "accept" family member's requests to list you as relatives (I refuse those). You don't HAVE to put in your hometown, etc. You don't have to have a profile picture.

Most of us do, but you can choose not to.

 

[Tala]

I know most of the stuff is available in the phone book or by word of mouth. I do share on FB who I'm married to, and I'm sure that the Realtor sites list what our house sold for and what month we closed on it....

but I don't tell ANYONE my income. Does the IRS post our tax returns online somewhere???? I realize that most people are saying theirs is wrong, but still.....where do they get THAT???

 

[Dar]

the strange part is I am in Canada so most of this does not apply to me... but for fun and giggles i put my name in.... well low and behold they founf another person with the same name AND her hubby's name is the same as mine.... but they named their kids differently... they live in NJ... maybe I will stop by for tea..LOL

 

[tnchickenut]

Quote:

Yup. Mine is ALLLLLL sorts of wrong. LOL. I think I'll leave it up.

 

[Dar]

Quote:

Yup. Mine is ALLLLLL sorts of wrong. LOL. I think I'll leave it up.

LOL yep.... hummm i wonder if thats where my Visa bill went?

 

[Sir Birdaholic]

Hope they pay it for you!