online public records

In this article, we will cover how to remove information from public records online, and the personal and private data they contain. In order to better explain this take a look at our five-step process below.

 

Public records, most of which are now easily and readily available online to anyone with an internet connection. In addition, so are government records that anyone can rightfully observe. 

 

You may be wondering why so much personally identifiable information (PII) about you is available on these public record websites and forums across the internet. It is because the law dictates that specific kinds of documents must be made accessible to everyone for the greater public good.

 

 

Public records are no recent happening nor is this a “trend”, however, the ability to access and obtain these documents is easily on the internet is. As the internet grew over the past decade, so did the overabundance of privacy and protection problems that have arisen in regards to public records. 

 

Subsequently, we will explain the main variations of public records as well as list some of the threats they cause. And lastly, we will accommodate you with a five-step method to better protect yourself online.

 

Consequently, anyone can quickly and easily find personal information about you online, and this information is very comprehensive, covering many aspects of your life.

 

These online biographies leave you endangered and vulnerable to various uncertainties. 

• Identity fraud: Nearly all public records include data a person would require in order to hijack your identity.
• Targeting by rapacious corporations: Shady companies often use the data in public records to distinguish individuals who have suffered from bankruptcy or credit difficulties.

• Identity disturbance or confusion: Private groups gather data about you, revise it into a comprehensive personal profile or background report. They then sell it back to state law enforcement powers. These records can include mistakes that can lead to the government falsely identifying you as a criminal or person-of-interest.

• Stalking: If someone desires to harass you, all they would need to do is look up your home address and phone number in public records. (i.e. InstantCheckMate.com)

• Pretexting: This is when another individual applies the personally identifiable information they encounter in your public records and pretend to be you. They can do this in order to get entrance to secure data like your financial data. 

• Marketing spam: Information brokers trade your data to promoters for personalized marketing and promotional content based on the profile they built from your public records.

 

Remove Information From Public Records Yourself (5 Easy Steps)

 

Depending on what state you reside in, the state can effectively hide and protect your public records under precise conditions, as followed:

• You are a victim of domestic violence or stalking
• You have a juvenile arrest record for a lesser crime
• Your information holds data that may impact the great good.

 

Still, even if your position doesn’t befall into the three points listed above, you still have alternatives.  In most circumstances, you can substitute specific types of personal data in your public records. 

 

You may also have other kinds of data removed from the electronic copies of your public record. Additionally, you can ask data brokers to delete and remove your personal information from their indexes.

 

1. Perform a Google Search on Yourself

Search for different sequences of your name, name + city, name + employer, and any other compounds you can presume that are expected to extract data about you. 

 

You want to discover what sort of data is connected to your name, and also the source of where that information came from.

 

Scan over the first several pages, and don’t neglect to look on the video and image tabs. Compose a record of the private information that you find online. Next, deal with the specific type of information as follows:

• “Trusted” websites: These involve foundations, companies you work amidst, or other websites that do not post your personal data. Reach out to them and ask to have it removed.

• “Hateful” sites: If another individual has published a post slandering your name, then they are most likely not going to respond to any inquiries to remove the post. You’ll need to develop an online reputation management plan in order to fix the problem.

• Social media posts: Posts that disclose personally identifiable data are normally in breach of terms of service on a majority of today’s most popular platforms. You should submit a dismissal application (or removal request) with that specific social media site.

• Images or videos: Furthermore, any pictures or videos of your individual information can frequently be eliminated by announcing your removal request.

• Government or people search websites: These are the most difficult, and regrettably the most popular. The lingering actions will assist you to get your data removed from these sources.

 

2. Visit the DMV

This DMV is home to another gold mine of public records, this includes both driver and vehicle documents. As well as the vehicle owner’s histories and driving record.

 

Depending on what state you dwell in, your regional DMV office is there if you should ever need to update your home address (i.e. with a P.O. Box) on any driving documents. 

 

Visit their website, call them directly, or you can personally walk into the DMV to update any records you would like.