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Send your name, address, and all names at your address which get junk mail, to:
They keep a list (ironically) of people who DON'T want to be put on mailing lists. If you are on this list, many junk-mailers will not put you on their mailing lists. For more info read the DMA website's postal mail list info. It's free to register by mail, or $5 to do so online.
Opt out of the ADVO/Valassis "ShopWise" and" RedPlum" useless piles of coupons. They have a massive database of almost every address in the USA and sell their list to other companies. Fill in the opt-out form on advo.com, mail it in or do it by phone (888-241-6760).
Opt out of the Valpak blue envelope of useless coupons via the Cox opt-out page.
CatalogChoice.com is a good new service that helps you opt out of particular catalog mailings.
ChoicePoint, another big database company, honors opt-out requests made through the DMA, or you can manually opt out of the Choicepoint database.
Check out this list to opt out from various marketing clearinghouse lists.
In San Francisco, opt out of the weekly SF Chronicle "special offers" ad mail bundle by calling (415) 777-7979.
Finally, for every magazine that you subscribe to (paid or free), opt out of their list. Most magazines sell off their subscriber lists unless you opt out. Look at the bottom of the masthead page under their contact info. It's usually in tiny print in the last few paragraphs about subscriber address changes.
Check out The Silent Way Directory- Privacy section for more consumer privacy protection links.
#1: The Federal Trade Commission's Do-Not-Call List,
Register here or call 888-382-1222.
#2: Mail your name and phone number to:
They keep a list of people who don't want to be cold-called. But companies who just call every number combination at random will probably still call you. It's free to register by mail, or $5 to do so online. For more info read the DMA website's phone list info.
The DMA has an email opt-out list too. Read about it here.
There are also a bunch of good privacy tips for your phone and safe websurfing in this MacWorld article.
Your credit history is available to credit card companies for marketing offers. To reduce junkmail credit-related offers such as "bait-and-switch" low percentage credit cards that switch to a higher rate after a few months, call the federal Credit Reporting Agency (CRA) opt-out request line. They will opt you out with the four major credit reporting companies permanently, or you can request it for just two years. Get the real story behind this opt-out phone number: read this alert at the FTC website.
This call will remove you from the following companies' lists: Equifax, Experian, TransUnion, and Innovis. It will take your pertinent info and then remove you from the sales pitches list. You'll need any addresses you've had over the past two years, your SS#, etc. Your credit info will still be available to someone who you authorize (such as a prospective landlord). (This might only apply in CA, MA, and NH. Ask to be sure you're covered.)
For the full scoop on getting a copy of your credit report, see Silent Way's Guide To Rental Housing in Tight Markets And Your Credit Report.
Call Social Security at (800) 772-1213, to ask for your free Personal Earnings and Benefit Estimate Statement (actually, you'll request a form which in turn requests the report, via an automated voice-mail system). This will show you how much you've put into your account so far, and estimates of Social Security benefits, disability benefits, death benefits etc. It will also indicate any unauthorized use of your social security number if it doesn't match your real earnings. Read more at ssa.gov.
Check to see if your medical history info is in this insurance industry database:
Get a copy of your MIB file here.
Check to see if your driver's license and other info is in the Choicepoint database:
ChoicePoint's website states that "ChoicePoint has grown from the nation's premier source of data to the insurance industry into the premier provider of decision-making intelligence to businesses and government." Their privacy website says that they honor opt-out requests made through the DMA, but to be sure you can manually opt out of the Choicepoint database.
There is a section of their site listing all the ways they sell marketing data to other companies (click on "Product Name"). An example of one of their 100+ services: "PrecisionLeads National Consumer Database contains information on approximately 215 million consumers in 110 million households nationwide. More than 1.2 billion records have been combined from sources such as public records, credit card and loan information, financial behavior data, real estate records and demographic and lifestyle information to create one of the largest, most robust databases in the market. Some of the information available for selection when registering for Consumer Products includes: Age, Income, Investors, Fund Raising, Working Women, Homeowners, Home Business/Self Employed, Spanish-Speaking Consumers, Families with Children."
Woah! Mike D, a visitor to this page, suggested "ChoicePoint is to driver's licenses as the MIB is to medical records." Thanks for the tipoff, Mike.
There are more privacy links here:
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