The United States is not only the world’s main supplier of information technology, but also the world’s largest consumer. Yet there are no affordable online privacy services in the US, and no laws in place requiring data brokers to maintain the privacy of consumer data.
Most reputable data brokers, a.k.a., people-search sites, offer customers the right to opt out of their databases, however, they don’t make it easy. It can be a real challenge for someone unfamiliar with the process to remove their personal records from virtually dozens of people-search websites, each with their own set of opt-out and removal procedures. And even if you’re able to decipher the steps required, lingering questions still remain. How long does it take for my information to be removed? A few days? A week? A few months? Data brokers have intentionally made the removal process confusing by design, with the hope that most consumers will simply give up; hence the need for online privacy companies like OneRep to advocate on your behalf.
There are several online privacy companies out there, but most have unjustifiably high service fees that border on price gouging. Most companies are just out to make a quick buck, paying little attention to customer service, and spending too much on advertising and operating costs. And it’s you, the customer, who ends up paying for all that overhead, while the actual service you’re allegedly paying for falls by the wayside.