Why does one need to be removed from these sites on a monthly schedule?
Show HN: Auto-identity-remove – Automated data broker opt-out runner for macOS
71–80 of 147 posts
Re: Show HN: Auto-identity-remove – Automated data broker opt-out runner for macOS
#72The only thing that is tied to MacOS is launchd, seems like that's useful info to add to the docs. I don't know if you can just do a run from the CLI. Supporting Systemd should be easy. Not sure what windows uses.
Creating a Windows service is a bit harder (as Windows actually uses a real API for services rather than just relying on process spawning and scripting around that), but with task scheduler you can schedule tasks to run once a month in all kinds of ways.
> a real API for services rather than just relying on process spawning and scripting around that
What's the difference? Aren't services always just spawned processes?
Re: Show HN: Auto-identity-remove – Automated data broker opt-out runner for macOS
#73Earlier quoted context omitted.
> 2. It asks for access to your email via Apple's Mail app which I don't use Assumption that people use Apple services by default is wild
They probably built it just for themselves. More the first person in the post title.
Given oop info I can found online, they built it to advertise themselves, I think show hn would have been much more appropriate
Mac in requirements is wild tho
Re: Show HN: Auto-identity-remove – Automated data broker opt-out runner for macOS
#74I'm wondering if this isn't a nice automated way to send your information to 500 data brokers.
100%
I haven’t checked but wonder what info you need to provide in step 3 (Fills and submits the opt-out form automatically)
I assume it’s gonna be more than just the name and address?
A much better way to solve this would be to fight for GDPR-like legislation in the US.
Re: Show HN: Auto-identity-remove – Automated data broker opt-out runner for macOS
#75At least in California, the DROP form is scheduled to come online this fall.
Re: Show HN: Auto-identity-remove – Automated data broker opt-out runner for macOS
#76Back in 2011 or so the Yellow Pages still delivered physical phone books to ever address in the state where we were. My city literally sent out an extra off cycle recycling truck the next day to pick them all up. Everyone threw them out. Well my coworkers and I realized that the opt out form just needed an address. We contemplated pulling all known addresses for the entire country and automating submitting them all o…
> I don’t think it ever materialized but we had a good chuckle about the emergency meeting the Yellow Pages web devs would have had and at what percentage of opt outs.
They would just pretend they didn't receive the opt outs, like half of the direct mailers and spammers out there.
I've gone through the trouble of trying to get Uline to stop sending gigantic paper catalogs to my PO Box two or three times per year. They have a form, they just ignore the requests:
https://www.uline.com/CustomerService/ULINE_FAQ_Ans?FAQ_ID=4...
Re: Show HN: Auto-identity-remove – Automated data broker opt-out runner for macOS
#77I tried this (as a Canadian): 1. It asks you to optionally sign up for a bunch of other services like Spokeo 2. It asks for access to your email via Apple's Mail app which I don't use 3. I got a lot of 404s anyway 4. Many sites require manual intervention to work Nice idea, but it needs a LOT of TLC to make it generally useful. I suspect that having a non-numeric "zip" code and a non-US address might be breaking a lo…
> 2. It asks for access to your email via Apple's Mail app which I don't use Assumption that people use Apple services by default is wild
The mail app is a native Mac app but it can use any email account. It's an SMTP/IMAP/POP client.
Re: Show HN: Auto-identity-remove – Automated data broker opt-out runner for macOS
#78Thanks for the lively feedback and comments - this is very much a beta/first attempt.
I hate spam = the only reason I built it. No other intention behind it.
I posted here to get support on making it better so others can use it.
I'll take some of these comments and start iterating on them.
Feel free to submit anything directly to the repo or fork and make it better for your own set up.
Re: Show HN: Auto-identity-remove – Automated data broker opt-out runner for macOS
#79Earlier quoted context omitted.
Creating a Windows service is a bit harder (as Windows actually uses a real API for services rather than just relying on process spawning and scripting around that), but with task scheduler you can schedule tasks to run once a month in all kinds of ways.
> a real API for services rather than just relying on process spawning and scripting around that What's the difference? Aren't services always just spawned processes?
On Windows, services use this API: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/win32/services/ser...
Services are executables, but they have dedicated entrypoints/"signals" for interaction with the service manager. That means you can't point a service at a batch file or powershell script, because those applications don't have the symbols to respond to the signalling from Windows.
Re: Show HN: Auto-identity-remove – Automated data broker opt-out runner for macOS
#80> 4. Solves CAPTCHAs via CapSolver (AI-powered, ~$0.001/solve) Right, so my suspicion was correct: I'm the only one being inconvenienced by the same old captchas.
It depends on the CAPTCHA, but there's a reason why Apple, Cloudflare, and Google are shifting towards remote attestation for proof-of-humanity. The reCAPTCHA v3 Enterprise version and MtCaptcha cost a whopping 3x as much ($3 per 1000 solves). Seems like they're the best CAPTCHAs to go for.
Roblox, by far, has the strangest and most difficult to solve.