How do I remove my personal information from Zabasearch and other directory websites?
February 10, 2010 12:34 PM Subscribe
How do I remove my personal information from Zabasearch? And while I'm on the topic, are there other directory websites I should be concerned about and how would I go about removing my information from those?
I need to remove my information from Zabasearch. It's my understanding that they will exclude your listing for two years for a fee of $20. That's not an option I like an awful lot. My pride recoils at the thought of having to pay a for-profit corporation money to keep my private information private; it feels too much like extortion. At the same time, I need to have this information removed by next week, so I'm willing to swallow my pride and cough up the money. If you have gone this route, how quickly did they remove the information? And was it removed for the full two years, or did they add it again in a few months? If there is a quick and free method to remove the information, I'd be interested in hearing about that as well.
And while I'm on the topic, are there other, similar directory websites that might be putting my personal information out there? How can I remove my information from those as well?
Many thanks in advance.
I need to remove my information from Zabasearch. It's my understanding that they will exclude your listing for two years for a fee of $20. That's not an option I like an awful lot. My pride recoils at the thought of having to pay a for-profit corporation money to keep my private information private; it feels too much like extortion. At the same time, I need to have this information removed by next week, so I'm willing to swallow my pride and cough up the money. If you have gone this route, how quickly did they remove the information? And was it removed for the full two years, or did they add it again in a few months? If there is a quick and free method to remove the information, I'd be interested in hearing about that as well.
And while I'm on the topic, are there other, similar directory websites that might be putting my personal information out there? How can I remove my information from those as well?
Many thanks in advance.
Best answer: If you click on the "record created" link you can pay $20 to block for two years. Not sure if it actually happens. I'm in there six times in various correct and incorrect addresses.
posted by shothotbot at 1:37 PM on February 10, 2010
posted by shothotbot at 1:37 PM on February 10, 2010
Best answer: The problem is not Zabasearch per se, it's where they get the info from. In my case, it absolutely has to be my credit report. There is no possible way to link my maiden name to my current address except through my credit report. Oddly, my married name does not even show up on Zabasearch or Pipl (I've been married for a year and a half and have a car and a few credit cards in my name). If you stop Zabasearch, it will still be available on Intelius and various other sites.
So I'd first investigate if you can stop the credit reporting agencies from selling your info. You're screwed on public information such as birth, marriage, and court records though.
posted by desjardins at 2:03 PM on February 10, 2010
So I'd first investigate if you can stop the credit reporting agencies from selling your info. You're screwed on public information such as birth, marriage, and court records though.
posted by desjardins at 2:03 PM on February 10, 2010
Best answer: I'm just hoping that over time the bad data and a few more stalking deaths will make all this go away - not a reasonable hope, I know. (And cruel to the currently living stalking victims.)
Zabasearch's instructions for being removed may or may not work (they haven't worked for me) and they and their ilk are regularly found to be unmoved by the information that some of their data is only available via a breach law failure.
Sometimes, when this is long national nightmare is really getting to me, I like to pull up some of the various audits that have been done on credit agencies and so forth. They do not do well - but why would they, when their business model is selling data that will help you indentify risk.
posted by Lesser Shrew at 6:35 PM on February 10, 2010
Zabasearch's instructions for being removed may or may not work (they haven't worked for me) and they and their ilk are regularly found to be unmoved by the information that some of their data is only available via a breach law failure.
Sometimes, when this is long national nightmare is really getting to me, I like to pull up some of the various audits that have been done on credit agencies and so forth. They do not do well - but why would they, when their business model is selling data that will help you indentify risk.
posted by Lesser Shrew at 6:35 PM on February 10, 2010
Best answer: LexisNexis knows you. LexisNexis knows aaaaaaaaaalllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll about you.
Fortunately, LexisNexis charges other people who also want to know about you, so it's not just "out there." It's still scary how much information they have.
posted by Jacqueline at 7:06 PM on February 10, 2010 [1 favorite]
Fortunately, LexisNexis charges other people who also want to know about you, so it's not just "out there." It's still scary how much information they have.
posted by Jacqueline at 7:06 PM on February 10, 2010 [1 favorite]
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by ferociouskitty at 12:45 PM on February 10, 2010