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LexisNexis is selling personal data to ICE so it can try to predict crimes

theintercept.com

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Re: LexisNexis is selling personal data to ICE so it can try to predict crimes

#31

Post by jandrese »

Mountain_Skies wrote: post #14

You can get a free copy of what LexisNexis has on you, just like you can with your credit report. The difference is that the LexisNexis report is book thick for most people. The amount of information far exceeds what the credit bureaus have. In my case, quite a bit of it was wrong but adjacent. It thought I owned a huge commercial building, which was actually owned by the developer of a condo I owned in another part…

This is what makes it concerning when it is used by law enforcement. Way too many people have been railroaded by the system due to bad data, especially poor people who can't afford a good lawyer. If the judges, lawyers, and especially juries are told that LexisNexis is a reliable source of information because the prosecution wants to get that conviction they could send innocent people to jail.

Re: LexisNexis is selling personal data to ICE so it can try to predict crimes

#32

Post by 0xbadcafebee »

wefarrell wrote: post #10

It's pretty crazy that our legislators and courts haven't addressed this loophole that allows law enforcement agencies to buy data that they can't legally collect. This essentially nullifies the fourth amendment.

The government hasn't searched nor seized anything. This is identical to if somebody found out your favorite color is Blue, gave that info to a newspaper reporter, and the newspaper sold the information on the street for a nickle a paper. The government bought one of the papers.

Re: LexisNexis is selling personal data to ICE so it can try to predict crimes

#33

Post by nonameiguess »

NickC25 wrote: post #6
droopyEyelids wrote: post #4

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Lexis nexis is way beyond what you’re describing. Its basically a company that forms dossiers on every person, even if they had no digital footprint. It combines every source of public data possible, and even includes court records that are sealed or expunged

How does it have access to sealed court records? I thought the whole point of "sealed" meant that the contents of the case were off-limits to the public for any and all reasons

All they had to do was scrape public records before they were sealed or expunged. When a record is sealed or expunged, that only means the court stops publishing it or deletes their record. Anyone who retrieved it before that doesn't have to give it back and nobody's memory gets wiped.

Re: LexisNexis is selling personal data to ICE so it can try to predict crimes

#34

Post by genmud »

droopyEyelids wrote: post #4
genmud wrote: post #2

If you are giving data to someone, or having data produced about you, it is a good assumption at this point that someone is trading it, selling it or monetizing it. With no effective data ownership or privacy legislation in the US, it will continue to be that way.

Lexis nexis is way beyond what you’re describing. Its basically a company that forms dossiers on every person, even if they had no digital footprint. It combines every source of public data possible, and even includes court records that are sealed or expunged

No, it's exactly what I'm describing... courts generate data about you, someone (LN as an example) slurps it up. Buy a house, deed gets recorded, data gets generated and someone slurps it up.

Buy a product with a CC. All of the half dozen to dozen vendors involved in the transaction will generate data about you and sell/trade the data to other people.

Sure, LN might have some really good profiles, but there are so, so many companies doing the similar things.

Re: LexisNexis is selling personal data to ICE so it can try to predict crimes

#36

Post by brewdad »

jandrese wrote: post #29
mhb wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Don't the chop shop locations show up at the hub of stolen car paths when the ALPR data is used retrospectively for cars reported as stolen?

I imagine chop shop owners would destroy all nearby license plate cameras when setting up their location.

That would still narrow down the search quite a bit. Unless you think the cops won't notice a 10 block area where all the cameras are broken.

Re: LexisNexis is selling personal data to ICE so it can try to predict crimes

#37

Post by saagarjha »

jandrese wrote: post #29
mhb wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Don't the chop shop locations show up at the hub of stolen car paths when the ALPR data is used retrospectively for cars reported as stolen?

I imagine chop shop owners would destroy all nearby license plate cameras when setting up their location.

Ok, and that would definitely not show up as suspicious?

Re: LexisNexis is selling personal data to ICE so it can try to predict crimes

#38

Post by TechBro8615 »

flangola7 wrote: post #16
ruined wrote: post #5

who is even capable of escaping this kind of thing? what would it take to stop things like this, and prevent them from happening again? it seems impossible to even slow down

Legislation. What is there to keep a food company from lying about the ingredients in their products? How could you stop it, unless you have a personal chemistry lab? You stop it by having people who constantly watch how you do business, and if you do it in a harmful way men with guns will come and shut down your business and take a lot of money out of your vault. If it was exceptionally harmful or you resisted or if…

> What is there to keep a food company from lying about the ingredients in their products?

Food companies are not part of the "intelligence community," and there are significant disparities between enforcement of and compliance with the rules that each must follow. To the degree that food companies are even scared of the FDA (and not just willing to risk an inconsequential fine), it's because they know the FDA has strict guidelines and a history of enforcing rule violations that can kill an entire product line.

Whereas the intelligence community is subject to no such oversight, other than some nominal finger wagging by a group of senators (some of whom may even be spied on, blackmailed and coerced by the very agencies they oversee). There is a documented history of the NSA lying directly to congress about the scope and breadth of its surveillance programs, including falsely denying illegal activity. Given that evidence, it seems optimistic, bordering on naive, to trust that law enforcement agencies will respect legislation that restricts their ability to do what they consider to be their job, especially when nobody has been sent to jail for their criminality and deceit.

Why would they bother following the law if there are no consequences to breaking it? It's easier for them to obfuscate and argue semantics than it is to fundamentally alter their methods of intelligence collection.

Re: LexisNexis is selling personal data to ICE so it can try to predict crimes

#39

Post by chimeracoder »

getcrunk wrote: post #20

Does this have like a option to email them to delete all your data, prolly not huh?

> Does this have like a option to email them to delete all your data, prolly not huh?

Not really. There's a process for suppressing data, but it's not a viable option for most people.

From the "LexisNexis Individual Requests for Information Suppression Policy (Non-FCRA Opt-out Policy)"

https://www.lexisnexis.com/en-us/privacy/for-consumers/opt-o...

> Documentation Required for Suppression Requests

> Requests for suppression from restricted public records products must include documentation substantiating the risk of physical harm or the individual's status as an identity theft victim. LexisNexis reserves the right to determine, in its sole reasonable discretion, what documentation meets this criteria. If your suppression request is not approved we will promptly inform you about that determination.

> * If you are a victim of identity theft, submit a copy of a police report documenting the identity theft or documentation that verifies the identity theft claim such as a letter from your credit card company, and an Identity Theft Affidavit; or

> * If you are a law enforcement officer or public official, submit a letter from your supervisor stating that your position exposes you to a threat of death or serious bodily harm; or

> * If you are at risk of physical harm but do not work in law enforcement, submit a copy of a court protective order, a copy of a police report or similar documentation such as a letter from a shelter administrator or a health care professional

Re: LexisNexis is selling personal data to ICE so it can try to predict crimes

#40

Post by backtoyoujim »

0xbadcafebee wrote: post #32
wefarrell wrote: post #10

It's pretty crazy that our legislators and courts haven't addressed this loophole that allows law enforcement agencies to buy data that they can't legally collect. This essentially nullifies the fourth amendment.

The government hasn't searched nor seized anything. This is identical to if somebody found out your favorite color is Blue, gave that info to a newspaper reporter, and the newspaper sold the information on the street for a nickle a paper. The government bought one of the papers.

I'm not sure how you equate agencies like the FBI and CIA with newspapers.

Seems like a really weak argument from here.

One is a commercial venture with zero license to kill or interfere with foreign political processes.

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