Data: The Aggregation of Our Lives
Before you continue on go to the following
- Type in a name of someone you know the details about
- Does not have to be you.
What did you find? Were you surprised? Were you scared or creeped out? This is the aggregation of our lives and it’s available to anyone and everyone… globally.
Now you might be asking “How do I get rid of it?” take a moment and help that person or do yourself a favor. Remove that data HERE. To do this you will need:
- An email address you can check to verify your identity.
- To Agree to the terms, and prove you are not a robot by checking a few boxes
- You will then be prompted to search for your record
- Once you find your record, click the ‘Remove My Record’ button under your name.
- That’s it! Your record is now removed from the FastPeopleSearch database and will not show up on the site
Your data on sale.
Data aggregation is the process of gathering data from multiple sources, compiling it and presenting it in a summarized manner. It is used to analyze data statistically. Data aggregation can include processes such as collecting data about a particular product based on age, profession, location (etc), collecting data from a company/competitor’s website to analyze their trends, and gathering image and product descriptions to be used on the company’s website.
Fast People Search is one example of people search sites. There are MANY more and it would take you days to remove them all. This is one so you understand how to remove yourself. The real question is:
Where do they get all that information from?
Sites like this get the data from many sources such as LexisNexis & Thomson Reuters. They get their data from public and private sources. Examples include:
Public
Judgments and Liens, Secretary of State filings, Uniform Commercial Code filings, U.S. and Canadian business finder directories, Dun & Bradstreet Global Market Identifiers World base, Experian Business Reports, Fictitious Business Name Information (DBA or doing business as), Dun & Bradstreet Federal Employer Identification Numbers, the Franchise Index, an inactive business index, tax liens, Securities of Exchange Commission Form 4 abstracts, FAA aircraft registrations. ~LexisNexis
Private
Drivers’ License Data, Credit Card, and other financial data… Most data deals are private to not allow the outside world to know the true extent of their holdings.
Governments will also sell your data to make of for operation costs. Check this out:
There is a legitimate use for this data. It can validate a person as real to avoid fraud which is a LARGE loss of revenue to the economy. It is used to validate a person’s risk when applying for loans or when requesting other financial transactions where another party has to accept risk. This helps businesses keep costs down with bad investments. All legitimate requirements.
However, it is important to note that this data is not always accurate or up-to-date. In addition, some of these websites may charge a fee for access to their data.
The downside of that is globally nefarious actors, governments, and businesses can use that same data for means not to keep you safe but keep themselves safe at the cost of your privacy.
What can you do?
First off, do NOT generate so much data! No that is not easy. We will work to make that possible across this site. There are a lot of things you can not control in this. What you can control is:
- Who you do business with.
- What tech, accounts, and websites you incorporate into your life.
- Which permissions you give to apps, businesses, and entities about your life.
- Read the privacy policies and opt out of data collection when possible or use removal tools after that fact.
One of the biggest data generators is our phones. With constant access to the internet, we are far more likely to create more data that we will be unable to control. Limiting how your phone is used and what you do on it can make a big impact.