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Show HN: Auto-identity-remove – Automated data broker opt-out runner for macOS

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Re: Show HN: Auto-identity-remove – Automated data broker opt-out runner for macOS

#12

Post by ramshorst »

bilekas wrote: post #7
ramshorst wrote: post #6

Nice ! Is it a command line tool ? What info does it need to operate ?

Its literally in the README front and center. Requirements macOS (uses launchd for scheduling and Messages for iMessage) Node.js 18+ Playwright browsers installed

Did you read my questions ?

Re: Show HN: Auto-identity-remove – Automated data broker opt-out runner for macOS

#14

Post by IgorPartola »

Back 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 over several months to opt everyone out. 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.

Re: Show HN: Auto-identity-remove – Automated data broker opt-out runner for macOS

#16

Post by LatencyKills »

IgorPartola wrote: post #15

Any chance of this not needing to run on a Mac? I would try it out but want to run it in a Docker container.

Why not just comment out the macNotify() calls in watcher.js and then run it periodically? There are also a few calls to send iMessages that you should remove.

Re: Show HN: Auto-identity-remove – Automated data broker opt-out runner for macOS

#17

Post by Saris »

londons_explore wrote: post #8
LoganDark wrote: post #4

I got tired of spammers having my information, so I built a tool that submits an up-to-date copy of my information to over 500 websites. Surely this will help. Jokes aside, I unironically suspect the purpose of many opt-out forms is merely to record the up-to-date information.

How many of the forms have captchas etc? How many require you to make an account or confirm your email address/phone?

Looks like it uses AI to solve the captchas, but yeah some do require making an account in my experience.

Re: Show HN: Auto-identity-remove – Automated data broker opt-out runner for macOS

#18

Post by Saris »

hotsauceror wrote: post #10
LoganDark wrote: post #4

I got tired of spammers having my information, so I built a tool that submits an up-to-date copy of my information to over 500 websites. Surely this will help. Jokes aside, I unironically suspect the purpose of many opt-out forms is merely to record the up-to-date information.

Agreed. Any time I click an “Unsubscribe” link in an email, that takes me to a site where I have to provide my email or indeed, do anything more than click “confirm,” I leave. I assume it either resets some kind of consent trigger or sells my data to a new third-party vendor. The assumption of bad faith is now baked into my interaction with almost every corporate entity.

Sometimes the people who set up the email service just forget or don't bother to add the receivers email to the URL parameter when you click unsubscribe, so it'll ask for your email again which is always an annoying step.

Re: Show HN: Auto-identity-remove – Automated data broker opt-out runner for macOS

#19

Post by lolpython »

7777777phil wrote: post #3

cool idea, happy to try it out > Searches each data broker site for your name + state Is this US only or would it also work for international profiles (and if so what would be the "state" equivalent)?

The mention of states is because (besides the author likely being located in the States) many of the opt out forms are US only and filter on US state. You could probably just use an uncommon state or territory like Guam and try it, it would still submit opt outs for matching records on sites that are international. For example https://www.familytreenow.com/optout is listed in the broker list, and that seems to work for international profiles.
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