Main Page/Teaching Resources/Anti Doxing Resources

Anti-Doxing Resources

Doxing is the practice of publishing someone's private information without their consent. The resources below will help you prevent doxing, and can also provide some help if you've been doxed and want to minimize further damage.

These resources can also help prevent other personal info leaks and identity theft.

Huge thanks to Griffin B., who put together most of the links in this list.

General

• Voter registration data is public in many US states, and can often be searched online with just a full name, or full name and zip code. Check with your Secretary of State website to see if your voter registration data is online, and if so, look to see if opting out is possible.
• Create a Google Alert for your name to be notified when new information about you is posted online: www.google.com/alerts
• Join the FTC National Do Not Call Registry: https://www.donotcall.gov/
• Note: other than credit reporting agencies, no one should ask for your social security number or tax ID while opting out. When sending a copy of your ID, mark out the ID number and photo.

Credit Reporting Agencies

There's not a good way to fully opt-out of credit reporting. Get a free annual credit report via annualcreditreport.com (if you have a social security number or tax ID number). You can request it from all three credit reporting agencies from that link. You can also opt-out of pre-approved credit card & loan offers, which is a common vector for identity theft.

Equifax, Inc.

Opt-out by: Email, Phone, or Mail
Phone: 1-888-567-8688
Website: https://help.equifax.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/2/noIntercept/1/kw/prescreen;
Address:
   Equifax Information Services LLC
   P.O. Box 740123
   Atlanta, GA 30374-0123

Experian

Opt-out by: Phone or Website
Phone: 1-888-567-8688
Website: http://www.experian.com/privacy/opting_out_preapproved_offers.html

TransUnion Corp.

Opt-out by: Email, Phone, or Mail
Phone: 1-888-567-8688
Website: http://www.transunion.com/corporate/business/datareporting/support/opt-out.page
Address:
   TransUnion
   Name Removal Option
   P.O. Box 505
   Woodlyn, PA 19094

Fair Isaac Corporation

Opt-out by: Email or Phone
Notes: While you may not have heard of Fair Isaac, you've definitely heard of credit scores. The scores are created by FICO from information from one of the three credit reporting agencies above. If you've used one of their products directly, they do keep a fair bit of data.
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 1-888-342-6336

LexisNexis Group

Opt-out by: Mail or Website (in some cases)
Notes: LN isn't a credit reporting agency per se, but is maintaining a large amount of data that is frequently incorrect. To comply with the FCRA, they do allow people to obtain their own file, and to correct errors.
Obtain your information via mail: https://personalreports.lexisnexis.com/access_your_full_file_disclosure.jsp
Pre-approved offer opt-out: http://www.lexisnexis.com/risk/prescreened-offers-optout/
Full opt-out online: Fully opting out of LexisNexis's system is only possible for people who are in physical danger or who've faced identity theft.
Website: http://www.lexisnexis.com/privacy/for-consumers/opt-out-of-lexisnexis.aspx

Data Brokers

Spokeo.com

Opt-out by: Website
Website: http://www.spokeo.com/opt_out/new
Notes: Find your profiles, and submit them via the web form. They will be removed within a few days.

PeekYou.com

Opt-out by: Website
Website: http://www.peekyou.com/about/contact/optout/index.php
Notes: Find your profiles, and submit the unique ID from them to have them removed.

Pipl

Website: https://pipl.com/help/remove/
Notes: Refuses to allow opt-outs. Frequently incorrect info aggregated from across the internet.

WhitePages.com

Notes: To remove information, you must first make an account.
Step-by-step instructions: https://support.whitepages.com/hc/en-us/articles/115010106908-How-do-I-edit-or-remove-a-personal-listing-

Epsilon Data Management, LLC

Opt-out by: Email, Telephone, Mail
Website 1: https://us.epsilon.com/marketing-data-summary-request
Website 2: https://www.conversantmedia.com/privacy/opt-out
Notes: Epsilon is one of the largest data brokers, and has bought up several smaller data brokers to obtain their databases (such as Abacus Corp).  Opt-outs may take up to three months to process.
Email: [email protected] (US), [email protected] (EU/EEA), [email protected] (Asia)
Phone: 1-888-780-3869

Acxiom Corporation

Opt-out by: Website or Phone
Website: https://isapps.acxiom.com/optout/optout.aspx
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 1-877-774-2094

Intelius, Inc.

Opt-out by: Website, Fax, or Mail
Website: https://www.intelius.com/optout.php
Notes: Intelius runs a number of "people finder" and "background check" websites. This opt-out form will apply to all of them.    You must provide an ID (faxed, scanned, or mailed) to opt-out.
Fax: 1-425-974-6194
Address:
   Intelius Consumer Affairs
   P.O. Box 4145
   Bellevue, WA 98009-4145

Ameridex

Opt-out by: Email or Mail
Website: http://ameridex.com/ (dead link, company may be defunct)
Notes: Primarily public vital records (eg birth & death)
Email: [email protected]
Address:
   Ameridex
   PO Box 193061
   San Francisco, CA
   94119-3051

BeenVerified

Opt-out by: Website or Email ([email protected])
Website:   http://www.beenverified.com/opt-out-instructions
Notes: Profile removed within 24 hours via the website.
Find profile: https://www.beenverified.com/f/optout/search

Harte-Hanks, Inc.

Opt-out by: Email
Website: http://www.hartehanks.com/privacy
Notes: Ask how to have your personal information removed. For advertising data, see Digital Advertising Alliance below.
Email: [email protected]

People Smart

Opt-out by: Website, email, or mail
Website:   https://www.peoplesmart.com/optout-policy
Notes: People Smart offers an API to companies, so opting out here may remove data from other sites. Look up your profile with no City&State to get all results. Can take 3-14 days to have data removed.
Find profile: https://www.peoplesmart.com/optout-go
Email: [email protected]
Address:
   People Smart
   Privacy Department
   P.O. Box 391146
   Omaha, NE 68139

InfoPay EmailTracer

Opt-out by: Fax or Mail
Notes: They ask for a lot of info to opt-out. Only provide them with what you can see in their database (full name, address, and photo ID).
Fax: 1-617-993-9946
Find profile: http://www.emailtracer.com
Address:
   EmailTracer Opt Out Compliance Dept.
   P.O. Box 990043
   Boston, MA 02199

PeopleFinders.com

Opt-out by: Website
Website: https://www.peoplefinders.com/opt-out
Notes: Look up information and click "That's Me," then click "Opt out my info" on the next page. You may need to check in cities you used to live in to find your profile.
Find profile: http://www.peoplefinders.com/manage

Peoplelookup.com

Opt-out by: Using Intelius opt-out method above.

PeopleSearchNow.com

Opt-out by: Mail
Website: http://www.peoplesearchnow.com/privacy
Notes: They require people to fill out a form: https://www.peoplesearchnow.com/opt-out
Address:
   Opt-Out/PeopleSearchNow.com
   1821 Q Street
   Sacramento, CA 95811

Phone Detective

Opt-out by: Website
Website: https://www.phonedetective.com/PD.aspx?_act=OptOut
Notes: Quickly remove one's phone number.
Email: [email protected]

PrivateEye

Opt-out by: Website or Mail
Website: https://www.privateeye.com/static/view/optout
Notes: Because this is several services, they mistakenly (?) direct visitors to People Finders to find/remove info.
Find/remove profile: http://www.peoplefinders.com/manage
Address:
   Opt-Out/PrivateEye.com
   1821 Q Street
   Sacramento, CA 95811

PublicBackgroundChecks.com

Opt-out by: Mail
Website: http://www.publicbackgroundchecks.com/privacypolicy.aspx (dead link. Company defunct?)
Notes: They ask for a lot of info to opt-out. Only provide them with what you can see in their database (full name, address, and photo ID).
Address:
   Public Background Checks
   305 5th Avenue S, Suite 201
   La Crosse, WI 54601

PublicRecordsNOW

Opt-out by: Mail
Website: http://www.publicrecordsnow.com/static/view/privacy
Notes: They ask for a lot of info to opt-out. Only provide them with what you can see in their database (full name, address, and photo ID).
Address:
   Opt-Out/PublicRecordsNow
   1821 Q Street
   Sacramento, CA 95811

USA People Search

Opt-out by: Website
Website: https://www.usa-people-search.com/manage/
Notes: Search database, find yourself, then select that record for removal.

US Search.com

Opt-out by: Mail or Fax
Website: https://www.ussearch.com/opt-out/submit/
Notes: You must provide a copy of your ID and a letter with your name, address, and date of birth to opt out.
Fax: 1-425-974-6194
Address:
   Intelius Consumer Affairs
   P.O. Box 4145
   Bellevue, WA 98009-4145

Veromi.net

Opt-out by: Mail
Website: http://www.veromi.net/privacy.aspx (dead link, company defunct?)
Notes: They ask for a laundry list of personal info to process an opt-out. It's a good idea to find records and include the links in your request.
Address:
   Opt-Out/Veromi.net
   1821 Q Street
   Sacramento, CA 95811

Westlaw (Thompson Reuters Corp.)

Opt-out by:  Mail
Notes: They only allow opt-out for people who are in physical danger, are a judge or public official, or are a victim of  identity theft.

ZABA Inc.

Opt-out by: Fax
Website: http://www.zabasearch.com/privacy.php
Notes: Include a copy of your ID with your request. Online opt-out powered by Intelius now(?)
Fax:  1-425-974-6194

Online Marketing

Digital marketing firms also conduct monitoring and correlation of user data. This is most noticeable with "retargeting," the phenomena where ads seem to follow you around the internet. Opting out won't keep ads from displaying, but helps limit retargeting and self-reinforcing ad cycles.

Network Advertising Initiative

Opt-out by: Website checklist
Website: http://www.networkadvertising.org/choices/#completed
Notes: Allows people to opt-out of several ad networks at once.

Digital Advertising Alliance (DAA)

Opt-out by: Website checklist
Website:  www.aboutads.info/choices/
Notes: Allows people to opt-out of several ad networks at once.

Google Ads

Opt-out by: Website settings
Website: https://www.google.com/settings/u/0/ads/authenticated?hl=en
Notes: Partial opt-out. Must be logged into Google account to adjust settings. This would seem to be most useful to regular  Google or Chrome users.

Oracle / Eloqua / BlueKai / DataLogix Holdings

Opt-out by: Website settings or Mail
"Marketing Cloud": Must be conducted on each browser you want protected, since it's done via cookies.
Website:  https://www.oracle.com/marketingcloud/opt-status.html
"Offline Data": To remove offline data, you must send a letter with a copy of photo ID.
Address:
   Chief Privacy Officer, Oracle
   10 Van de Graaff Drive
   Burlington, MA 01803

Direct Marketers

If you get a lot of junk mail, opting out of these will help a bit. These databases are also frequently traded, so if you're trying to keep your home address off the internet, it can be a good idea to opt-out.

Direct Marketing Association

Opt-out by: Website
Website: https://dmachoice.thedma.org/register.php
Notes: Many companies use this database to automatically remove people who don't want to receive flyers, etc. They now charge $2 for a 10 year subscription.

Dun & Bradstreet Corp.

Website:   http://www.dnb.com/utility-pages/privacy-policy.html
Phone: 1-800-234-3867
Email (US): [email protected] (opt-out) or [email protected] (inquiry)
Notes: They collect data on businesses and individuals, then sell/provide to third-parties. DNB is a *very* large organization -- most businesses in the US have a DNB number, and a company's DNB file acts as sort of credit report for business-to-business lending/services.

Cox Target Media (Valpak coupons)

Opt-out by: Website
Website: https://www.valpak.com/coupons/show/mailinglistsuppression 
Notes: Fill in address to be removed from mailing lists.

Infogroup Inc.

Opt-out by: Email, Phone, Fax, or Mail
Website: https://www.infousa.com/infogroup-consumer-choice-and-resource-center/
Notes: You must provide a copy of your ID and a letter with your name, address, and date of birth to opt out.
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 1-800-794-1404
Fax:  1-402-836-3993
Address:
   Infogroup
   Attn: Content Feedback
   1020 E 1st St
   Papillion, NE 68046

Meredith Corporation

Opt-out by: Website or Mail
Website: http://www.meredith.com/offlinePrivacy.html
Address:
   Meredith Corporation
   Opt-out Postal: Attn Circulation
   1716 Locust Street
   Des Moines, Iowa 50309

Merkle, Inc.

Opt-out by: Use DMA opt-out method. They remove data that matches DMA opt-out records.
Website: http://www.merkleinc.com/privacy

Reader's Digest (and other Trusted Media brands)

Opt-out by: Email, Phone, or Mail
Website: http://tmbi.com/privacy-policy/
Notes: They distribute snail-mail ads, telemarketing calls, and sell personal info to advertisers.
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 1-877-342-4775
Address:
   Trusted Media Brands, Inc.
   PO Box 6095
   Harlan, IA 51593

Suarez Corporation Industries

Opt-out by: Email, Phone, or Mail
Website: http://www.suarez.com/privacy-policy/
Notes: Direct mail marketer
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 330-494-4282
Address:
   7800 Whipple Ave N.W.
   North Canton, OH 44720

Valassis Communications / RedPlum

Opt-out by: Website
Website:  http://www.valassis.com/
Notes: Junk mail; coupons and flyers.
Website: https://www.redplum.com/tools/redplum-postal-addremove.html