Protect Your Privacy

[Sollamyn]

I opted out at spokeo.com a few weeks ago, and just now tried to do a search for myself there. Nothing turns up, so I guess it worked. Maybe time to check out these other sites, too.

Donna

[sbh]

Thank you for posting about this!! I opted out at all of the sites you mentioned.

[gigi]

Originally Posted by FitBoop

I gave an old email address that I never use, and an old phone number.

It’s better to give them that as opposed to anyone being able to Google you and find out all that info about you. It's really appalling that voter registration and DMV info is public. There needs to be better laws to protect people. People who have been stalked, have been found, burglarized or killed, through bad people being able to get information through the DMV.

It's really disturbing.

[Pat58]

Originally Posted by Paine

When you go to opt out of publicdatausa.com, they require you to give them your email address and ask for your phone number. Wouldn't that just give them more private information?

That scared me right back out. I will do it with an old email, though.

Thanks Abbe!

[zraipel]

Originally Posted by Leonana

I put in my email address I use for sites like that, not my personal email. And I used an old phone number I no longer have.

Good idea, I will do the same!

[FitBoop]

I just found 2 more sites, persopo.com and peoplewhiz.com. I opted out of both, but People Whiz requires an ID. I will use a drivers license with all of the information and photo whited out except name, city and state.

It is impossible to completely protect our privacy online, but if you opt out of the major data collection sites that I mentioned above, it will get rid of a lot.

I called my local board of elections and was told that anyone can get your voter registration information, including birthday and address. The only way around it is to unregister.

The other problem is that your info can be visible if your close relatives’ info is visible. I have opted out for family members because my info was on their profiles on some of those data collection sites.

[Paula N]

It really is impossible to stay completely private these days, even if one doesn't use social media.

Because I run in so many road races, it is easy to find out at least my age range online. If someone wanted to,they could pinpoint to within a few months when I moved from one age group to another. (A job interviewer once commented that I was runner, so I know they had Googled me beforehand. Not something I would ever mention in a resume, so it felt a bit weird).

I have volunteered with various organizations over the years, and my name appears in official minutes and other online documents, so someone could determine my interest in a few social causes and other hobbies.

And my name appears in several online obituaries over the years, so someone could determine various family relationships on both sides.

I once had a very casual acquaintance comment on my dragon boating, because they had seen me in a team picture on someone's Facebook page (I don't use Facebook).

[Leonana]

I suppose that owning a smart phone means I'm monitored all the time. I guess I try not to worry about it, and just eliminate what I can.

This analogy might not make perfect sense, but it reminded me of something my husband once said about using a padlock. It won't keep a real thief out who can cut the lock, but it will make it harder to break in.

[Paula N]

Originally Posted by Leonana

I suppose that owning a smart phone means I'm monitored all the time.

And I forgot about all the points cards I own. Yes, I know companies use them to collect information about our purchases, but I am a sucker for free stuff at stores I frequent. It is slightly creepy how my grocery store know exactly when I need to restock on a particular item, but hey - bonus points if I buy now!

Also,algorithms on streaming services like Spotify or YouTube.

[FitBoop]

Yes, we are all being watched all the time. Cell phones monitor our locations. Apps monitor us (which is why I remove most app permissions or don’t download the app). Utility companies monitor our electricity and water usage and know when we wake up, take showers, and flush toilets. Cars equipped with the internet monitor our driving. Our internet browsers and email providers monitor us. The list goes on.

That said, there are actions we can take to minimize being monitored. There are VPN’s, to keep your internet activity anonymous. I use the one offered by Norton, that can be used on computers and cell phones.

Being monitored is different from bad people searching Google and data mining sites to steal identities or do other bad things. If you don’t want to opt out of various sites yourself, you can pay for a service, like ReputationDefender, to do it.

When I have found other information about myself online, such as being in a list of attendees at a school function, I have contacted the host and had my name removed. When someone posted about me on Facebook, I contacted them to remove it.

I also don’t post on Facebook or on other sites, using my real name. It astonishes me how people have gone from being afraid of posting their true identities online, to posting everything about themselves.

Identity theft is a terrible experience. It’s very hard to fix. It’s sometimes hard to find out about. You should open free accounts at Experian, Equifax and Transunion, and monitor for changes in your credit report and score. You can get free credit reports, one from each bureau, once a year at annualcreditreport.com.

You also should monitor your social security report and set up notifications if your address or email address changes. There are instances where identity thieves make social security claims against their victims.

Identity thieves can file false tax returns in victims’ names, to get refunds.

So, it is important to do what you can to minimize the risk.