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Ask HN: Best service to remove you from data brokers?

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Re: Ask HN: Best service to remove you from data brokers?

#41
post #30

Earlier quoted context omitted.

technically you could try putting RETURN TO SENDER on all your junk mail and put them back in a blue collection box. https://faq.usps.com/s/article/What-Options-Do-I-Have-Regard...

It's crossed my mind before to start a service that collects junk mail and sends it to the home address of the executives at the junk mail aggregates (there's only a handful of them last I tried to stop receiving junk). On the one hand it's definitely harassment to find out someone's address just to send them things they don't want for the purposes of changing their behavior. On the other hand, that's their business…

Now that I would pay $129/year for.

Re: Ask HN: Best service to remove you from data brokers?

#42
post #17

I use https://joindeleteme.com/ and it seems to work well

so absurd. why is it $129/year to remove myself from lists that I didn't consent to be added to in the first place?

It’s all about how proactive you want to be. Generally you can do it for free if you know where to remove data from. The people search engines make it intentionally complicated to find their removal links and they make it like an 18-step process unnecessarily. See https://www.removemyphone.com/learn/intelius-removal-guide for instance. That said, I wish some (not all, but some) European style personal data protection laws were on the table for discussion in the US. I’m not sure if the US can manage good privacy laws without benefiting big corporations over smaller social media upstarts, so I think we’re mostly stuck with this state of affairs here.

Re: Ask HN: Best service to remove you from data brokers?

#45
post #18
post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

so absurd. why is it $129/year to remove myself from lists that I didn't consent to be added to in the first place?

Same reason you pay for trash removal of physical junk mail that’s delivered to your house

In Germany you can put a „no ads“ sticker on your mailbox and it works. In case someone puts ads into your mailbox anyhow, you can report them to the consumer protection agency and they risk a fine.

This actually works.

Re: Ask HN: Best service to remove you from data brokers?

#46
I used https://brandyourself.com/ a while ago when I was starting a new company...had a connection to the founder over there so decided to give it a shot. They seem to have added more functionality over the years, but I cannot speak to those. What I can say is it met my expectations at the time, and if they successfully developed what was on their road map its probably a decent place to start.

I also downloaded an email client that let me instantly unsubscribe from lists I was somehow on, use a VPN, DuckDuckGO even has an app...idk, I mean the list goes on...i found that in the end, it was up to me to make sure i was closing myself off intelligently while digitally engaged.

Re: Ask HN: Best service to remove you from data brokers?

#47
post #22
post #16

In South Africa you could add your contact details to the Direct Marketers' Association's Do Not Call list, but the list was hacked and the contact details sold.

What was is the point of 'hacking' it? The list should be public right? So every telemarketer can access it and not call you? Or is it done via your telecom provider?

It’s a lookup. You enter details and get back whether you are allowed to contact them.

Re: Ask HN: Best service to remove you from data brokers?

#48
post #45
post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Same reason you pay for trash removal of physical junk mail that’s delivered to your house

In Germany you can put a „no ads“ sticker on your mailbox and it works. In case someone puts ads into your mailbox anyhow, you can report them to the consumer protection agency and they risk a fine. This actually works.

When I lived in Austria, I had ads hanging on my doorknob almost every day. I was amazed at how many I got when I would leave for a week.

US should do same. Make spammers deliver their junk mail themselves, lightens the load on the USPS and creates direct jobs.

Re: Ask HN: Best service to remove you from data brokers?

#49
post #26

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I know your site is in beta, but you should remove the 'See what our customers say' section until you have customer reviews. https://i.ibb.co/zS1zNq6/Screenshot-2020-10-20-Remove-Person...

Don't think that's us! KBYE.io currently asks for credentials and doesn't display anything.

I replied to the wrong comment. Sorry!

Re: Ask HN: Best service to remove you from data brokers?

#50
post #48
post #45

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In Germany you can put a „no ads“ sticker on your mailbox and it works. In case someone puts ads into your mailbox anyhow, you can report them to the consumer protection agency and they risk a fine. This actually works.

When I lived in Austria, I had ads hanging on my doorknob almost every day. I was amazed at how many I got when I would leave for a week. US should do same. Make spammers deliver their junk mail themselves, lightens the load on the USPS and creates direct jobs.

Junk mail is responsible for a good chunk of USPS revenue
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