Privacy has been a bone of contention for quite a while. It seems that various Websites & apps will give out people’s private information for a price. Some of this information includes email addresses, full names, Sites people who frequently visit, & more. (The most memorable data breach of its kind in recent times is the one involving Facebook & Cambridge Analytica.) The information gathered could be used for a number of purposes. These include customizing ads, conducting marketing campaigns & much more.
When people subscribe to a service they give this information willingly. In the case that this information is shared with a third party then it will constitute a breach of trust. It is also likely to result in a lot of spam emails.
Haveibeensold is a Web app that acts as a database to check if a user’s personal information has been sold to 3rd parties. The user is prompted to fill in their email address on the Webpage. They then have to click on the “have I been sold?” link. The app has access to various sold lists that have already been exposed. It will scan through these to see if the address the user put in is in any one of them. The tool will then give the user feedback as to whether or not their email address features in any one of them.
There are also 2 other links that are available on the dashboard. One is the, “Remove me from your database.” link. This one can be used to erase the user’s information from the app. The 2nd one is the, “let me know if I show up.” Link. If the user clicks on this one the app will keep the individual’s email address & continuously check on updated databases. If at any one point their address features on a sold list then they will be notified.
Additionally, the app gives directions on how to stop a person’s email from being sold. The team will help an individual set up protection protocols if they seem difficult. This, however, comes at a financial cost.
The sale & sharing of such information is currently against the law according to the GDPR regulation that became enforceable on May 25,, 2018.
The service is currently free of charge to users. Haveibeensold is a project made by Bruno who is also part of the Bitfalls team. Unfortunately, apart from his first name, there’s almost no detail about him on the Website.
– This is a startup profile based on publicly available material & not a review –
Image Credit: Haveibeensold
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