March 20, 2010
Yesterday an Internet friend alerted me to Spokeo. It is a personal database on YOU. It posts your age, gender, home value, home address, length of residence, locator map, occupation, family info plus a slew of other stuff.
I was horrified at this intrusion and lack of privacy, never mind the fact more than half of the posted information was dead wrong. If you want your personal data removed, here's what you do.
Go to Spokeo: http://www.spokeo.com.
Enter your name in the SEARCH box. If you go by several names, check them too. Also, check for the names of your spouse and kids. Every single entry must be individually removed.
Hit Search.
When your name comes up, click on the location that matches. (Prepare to fume!)
This brings up your profile for all to see. ** COPY the URL where your information appears. **
REMOVAL FROM DATABASE
At the bottom of the page is the word PRIVACY. http://www.spokeo.com/privacy.
Once there, paste in the saved URL, your email and the code provided.
Hit Remove Listing.
By return email, they will send you a URL that you must click or paste into your browser to complete the removal process.
SEND THEM A BLAST
If you are irritated by this exposure you may want to pay them a visit via their contact page: http://www.spokeo.com/public/feedback. It's also found under CONTACT in small print at the bottom of the page.
Their website states to allow 1 business day for removal, which since this was Saturday, would likely be done on Tuesday. Instead, our personal information was removed within 5 minutes.
10 comments:
I bet they get their info from utility providers...especially since the # listed for me is the one I give my utility companies even though it hasn't been our # for years.
Ok, yeah, it HAS to be through the utility companies---my husband isn't showing up at all, and our utilities have never been in his name. They're always in mine. So the gas, electric, water, cellphone, internet etc companies have to have sold this spokeo company their client's info.
I wonder if Spokeo gets popular like switchboard.com did, if they'll start hiding the info in order to charge people who want to see it?
I have to apologize for all these comments---not trying to be obnoxious, I promise!
Okay, so on the profile page its listing stuff that people put on their google profiles. Like blogger, or other google-affiliated companies. And pictures of people's homes are from the google cars that have been driving up and down every street in America for the past couple years in an effort to build Google Maps databases. So that is another place that spokeo is getting their info.
Have you ever gone to Xillow to check out residential info? Amazing how much stuff is public info about homes, etc.
Oh my gosh, that is unreal. Thanks for the info, I've already sent them my nasty email!
Me or my husband are not on here, but my maiden name is and
I am in my 50's living at my parents house along with my 50 year old brother and sister in law!
crazy! Thanks for the info! Apparently I'm in my 50's still living with my parents (who are also in their 50's!) ha!
dang! thanks!
Thanks, I removed my 50 year old female maiden name and my 20 year old male married name from their site. This is a joke. I don't know where they get their info, but it is certainly wrong, except for addresses.
Yes Amy, they do charge for more info if you want to see pictures or anything else on their site.
Funny! When I go to their site, they say "spokeo's too hot right now" and that they are experiencing growing pains, so they are liminting their traffic.
Amazingly, none of my info was on there except when I entered my email address and my most accurate info was on an msn email that went inactive in 2003! David, they had but the pictures were all bogus and of course the income was wrong. Luckily, they have no addresses.
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