The Little Known Opt-Out Guide (2nd Edt) ©
December 2, 2020
Courtesy of Eric Neal & The Skip Tracing Community — http://www.theskiptracingcommunity.com
Business Owners — Hunting down data vendor opt-out forms can be tedious. This short guide is designed to get you started. You don’t have to be a political figure or celebrity to get your information removed from a data vendor’s database. LexisNexis refers to these requests as “information suppressions.”
If asked for an explanation, my answer is simply — “Owning a collection agency puts me at significant risk of retaliation and I am in fear of my safety.” This of course can be customized to fit your situation. This isn’t guaranteed to work for everyone, but should at least be attempted.
Acxiom — https://isapps.acxiom.com/optout/optout.aspx. Read through the sections and at the bottom (section 8) is the opt-out form. Don’t forget to confirm with the email they send you when you’re done.
LexisNexis: https://optout.lexisnexis.com. I chose the option “other” and said the following: “Owning a collection agency puts me at significant risk of retaliation and I am in fear of my safety. Attached are my corporate documents.” Then I attached my corporate secretary of state documents. I was approved under the option I gave.
Intelius: https://www.intelius.com/optout. Search for and find your listing and select it. Then put in your email and wait for the confirmation email. When you receive that email, click on the confirmation link and you’re done.
Spokeo: https://www.spokeo.com/optout. Follow the instructions listed by finding your sample listing and putting in the url and your email. Click the link in the confirmation email when you receive it.
Transunion, Equifax & Experian: https://www.optoutprescreen.com/form. This is more for consumers to opt-out of pre-screened credit offers, but can help improve your overall privacy. The electronic opt-out lasts for 5 years. Just fill out the form and submit.
Westlaw & CLEAR: https://static.legalsolutions.thomsonreuters.com/static/pdf/opt_out_form.pdf. Instructions are clear. Use this form and send it in. I would suggest sending it certified mail.
IDI: https://www.ididata.com/opt-out-policy.pdf. This is similar to others. Use the same technique.
If you can’t find the opt-out option of a data vendor / investigative database, simply email them and ask, as they need to make their privacy policies clear. Some data vendors will try to give you the run around. In that case, remain polite, but stick to your guns and be persistent. If they say there’s no opt-out, then ask about “information suppression” to protect your safety. If you’ve had success with one of the major data vendors already, mention that to the next one. If all else fails, a letter from your attorney might serve to reinforce your case. Your safety is paramount, but it’s up to you to take control of your privacy.
