Lexis Nexis - The bottomless pit of user data

(Image used under: Creative Commons 3.0 [SRC][Mod])

LexisNexis (which acquired ChoicePoint) is the largest data-broker in the world. They create vast profiles on people and use that information to create various reports that they sell to companies of all kinds. These reports are used to make decisions about renting, insurance and more. In the past these reports have been purchased by law enforcement and criminal organizations; all to find out more information about you.

It might be a good idea to find out what's in your report, but it turns out neither simple web searching or LexisNexis themselves do much for listing out all the types of data they know about you. Well here's the list of information they had (or could have had) from my personal LexisNexis dossier:

Does that make you uncomfortable?

Data brokers are just a business like any other, but as the credit report companies proved, buying and reselling data carelessly leads to disaster. Considering that these reports are FAR more detailed with a much wider variety of information, I can only imagine the consequences of allowing them to proceed as they have been.

Fortunately, you may not have to.

I was able to order my report using this webpage. I believe that doing so would be a good idea, but after that, make sure to also use their opt out procedures if you can.

It turns out that they'll only let your data go if you can prove that you're an identity theft victim or in imminent danger of bodily harm (police officer, public officials, etc). But it's easy to understand why they make it hard. After all, why would you set free one of your prize milk cows for no good reason?

In the end, I hope that strong regulation is introduced before we reach a problem like we did with identity theft.

Lexis Nexis - The bottomless pit of user data

(Image used under: Creative Commons 3.0 [SRC][Mod])

LexisNexis and ChoicePoint are two of the largest data-brokers in the world. They’re only product is information about you which they buy and sell with little to no regulation of any kind. I have always wondered what kind of information they keep about us, and now I know. In the profile I ordered from them, I found not only several pieces of my personal information, but descriptions of other kinds of information that they collect. Here is a summary:

Information they Had

• Full first, middle, and last name
• Wife first, middle, and last name
• Address history with dates and locations
• Social Security Number
• Full date of birth
• Driver’s License Number
• Vehicle VIN
• Insurance history including companies, policy details, dates of coverage, accidents, claims filed, etc.

Information they Collect, but Didn’t Have For Me

• Auto and property insurance history
• Pre-employment background report including “personal credit information” and state driving record.
• An Esteem® report which lists admitted or convicted cases of theft while visiting or working at a retail company (used by retailers for hiring).
• A ScreenNow® report which displays a ChoicePoint national criminal records search of your name and personal information (used for hiring and volunteer work).
• A Resident Data® history that includes personal credit information and a criminal record search (used for rental applications).
• A Resident Data® eviction report used for resident screening.
• FAA Aircraft Registrations
• Uniform Commercial Code filings (when securing a loan with collateral).
• Bankruptcies, Liens, and Judgments
• Professional Licenses
• Pilot Licenses
• Marine Radio Licenses
• Controlled Substance Licenses (for physicians, dentists, pharmacies).
• Firearms and Explosives Licenses
• Business Affiliations (for officers or principals of an incorporated Company).
• Significant Shareholders Search Results – If your name and address appear at the top of a corporation record.

And the most exciting part of all of this is that you never asked to be part of their profiles, they just take it. Neat huh?

Data brokers suck up anything and everything they can about you.

(Image used under: Creative Commons 4.0 [SRC])

At first you might not believe me when I say that your information is valuable. Where you eat, how much you spend for Christmas, your struggle with weight... all these things give companies an advantage in convincing you to give money to them andcompanies are only too happy to use every advantage against you so long as they make money.

Here's how that plays out:

Step 1: Get as much of your data as possible

While doing business with someone, they ask for information they don't actually need. Sometimes they do it to support planned future capabilities; sometimes for targeted marketing; and sometimes solely for the purpose of reselling the information to people who care more than they do. Regardless, your data is big business and it seems like everyone is poking and prodding you to give up as much data as possible even in grossly inappropriate ways.

I was once asked for my social security number at a video rental store before they'd rent videos to me!

The best way to do this of course is to create a site or service where you will choose to volunteer personal data about yourself for no particular reason. For example: Facebook. Facebook openly uses the information in your profile to target ads to you (sometimes in quite insulting ways):

With the knowledge that I was engaged to be married, the site splashed an ad across the left side of the screen playing into a presumed vulnerability. Do you want to be a fat bride? You'd better go to such-and-such Web site to learn how to lose weight before the big day.

Which brings us to step number 2...

Step 2: Use all the data to market to your interests (and also your weaknesses and insecurities).

It's just business.

(Image is in the Public Domain)

Ads that attack you on a personal level for profit aren't necessarily a mistake or just coincidence. Sometimes, it's the direct result of marketing designed to take advantage of you:

Facebook showed advertisers how it has the capacity to identify when teenagers feel “insecure”, “worthless” and “need a confidence boost”, according to a leaked documents based on research quietly conducted by the social network.

The internal report produced by Facebook executives, and obtained by the Australian, states that the company can monitor posts and photos in real time to determine when young people feel “stressed”, “defeated”, “overwhelmed”, “anxious”, “nervous”, “stupid”, “silly”, “useless” and a “failure”.

Facebook is notable in being very visible and public, but most brokering happens quietly and unseen... because most people would be horrified if they knew what was for sale:

Some extremely sensitive information can be sold very cheaply. World Privacy Forum Executive Director Pam Dixon’s testimony before the U.S. Senate included a screen cap showing that MEDbase 200 was selling lists of rape victims for 7.9 cents per name, as well as similarly-priced lists of those suffering from HIV/AIDs, genetic diseases, addictive behavior (conveniently broken down into sub-categories like gambling, sex, alcohol, and drugs) and dementia. The listings were taken down soon after Dixon’s testimony.

Loose controls and regulation of credit-based data brokering (in the form of credit reports) is the single biggest cause of ID Theft and now we're seeing companies profiting from victims, emotional weakness, and addicts. The scope and intensity of the consequences of rampant and uncontrolled data-brokering remain to be seen.

Data brokering (in the form of credit reports) is responsible for the vast majority of ID Theft. To learn more about how that happens and (more importantly) how to stop it, check out my Goodbye Identity Theft course.

Fixing the problem

If you don't keep my data on file, you can't lose it

We need strong regulation and stiff consequences as soon as possible, but until that happens, the only way to be safe is to fight data-brokering as much as you can by developing a mindset of privacy and Out and About Defense and keeping your information out of databases as much as you can. They can't lose, share, or abuse it if they don't have it!