Doxxing defense: Remove your personal info from data brokers

This is something I have been looking for in my quest for privacy in today's technical world.

It is an older article, but it fits the bill.


Don't want your home address or other personal info published to the world? This weekend, take an hour or two to make yourself a less visible target.

By Ken Gagne
Computerworld | Nov 20, 2014 3:30 AM PT


snip
Many women gamers and developers, as well as those who support them, have lately come under attack from online trolls. A common intimidation tactic that trolls use is "doxxing," or publicly exposing their targets' personal details, including home address, phone number and even financial records.

Doxxing is often accompanied by threats of violence, sexual assault or murder. The message is clear: We're out to get you, and we know where you live. Some women in tech have left their chosen profession rather than deal with continued threats.

But anyone is susceptible to doxxing, as game developer Phil Fish discovered this summer after speaking up in defense of a female developer. As the host of a feminist podcast, I decided to take the precaution of trying to remove public records of my whereabouts.

Here is the list data broker services and search engines in the article and how to 'opt out of'

Spokeo, Pipl, Zoominfo, Whitepages, PeopleSmart, CheckPeople, BeenVerified, Intelius, PublicRecords360, ZabaSearch, US Search, PeopleFinders.com, and PeekYou

snip
Unfortunately, opting out is not a one-time process. "Even though you've opted out, these sites may refresh their data from new information that comes in," says Stephens of the Privacy Rights Clearinghouse. Anytime your phone number or address changes or your information becomes available from a new broker, your details may propagate to services you've previously opted out of. One need look no further than the fine print at Whitepages.com for an example, as the site warns: "Whitepages continuously discovers new information, so please check back regularly to make sure your information is shown correctly."

Link: http://www.computerworld.com/article/2849263/doxxing-defense-remove-your-personal-info-from-data-brokers.html


There is more information at the bottom of the article:

See our three-part series, "The paranoid's survival guide," for more steps you can take to protect your personal information:

Part 1: How to protect your personal data
Part 2: Protect your privacy on social, mobile and more
Part 3: Opting out, and how to protect your personal data offline


Good Luck!