ReputationDefender and MyPrivacy Lauded by Privacy Advocates

Dan Costa has an informative article in PC Magazine this week that does a good job of synthesizing the related topics of identity theft, corporate data mining, online privacy and internet legislation 2.0. In Defend Your Virtual Life Costa advocates for stronger internet privacy laws in the United States and looks to the European Union’s comprehensive Data Protection Directive as a model for US lawmakers concerned with online privacy.

The E.U. has stricter laws regarding the collection and distribution of personal information, and they work better than ours. We need them, too. I want my I.D. back.

Given that current internet laws afford little or no expectation of privacy in the United States, Costa turns to the private sector to keep his sensitive information private. Mr. Costa goes on to profile various information brokers who specialize in “people finding,” and collect publicly available information in their databases. Specifically these firms compile

current address, address history, phone number, lists of relatives and associates, property ownership, bankruptcy, lawsuit and marriage reports, criminal history, and more.

Costa says that these firms then sell this information to companies and people alike and lists a myriad of concerns for consumers including increased predatory marketing and the potential risk of identity theft.

ReputationDefender is committed to online privacy and encourages individuals concerned about keeping their sensitive information secure to check out MyPrivacy.com.