Krebs on Security

Data Broker Radaris Loses Domains in Privacy Fight

Refract AI Intelligence Digest

BLUF

A judge ordered the seizure of Radaris.com and multiple related domains due to violations of New Jersey privacy statutes protecting public safety officials.

NEWS

Radaris faced a lawsuit for publishing personal information on state law enforcement officials in violation of NJ law. After attorneys repeatedly ignored removal requests and stonewalled the court, the judge mandated the transfer of the company's primary domains. This ruling highlights escalating legal consequences for non-compliant data brokers.

Why I Care

This sets a dangerous precedent for data brokers who ignore opt-out mechanisms, potentially threatening their business model and online presence. It signals increased enforcement of state privacy laws, particularly regarding sensitive groups like law enforcement, and offers hope for individuals seeking to scrub their data from people-search sites.

Next Steps

Individuals should monitor their digital footprint and submit formal removal requests to data brokers before legal action becomes necessary. Privacy advocates and legal teams should track this case as a potential template for future litigation against non-compliant aggregators. Data brokers must immediately audit compliance with state-specific privacy statutes to avoid similar asset seizures.

The consumer data broker Radaris.com has long had a reputation for ignoring requests to remove personal information from its vast empire of people-search services online. That reputation caught up with the company recently in a lawsuit alleging Radaris violated a New Jersey privacy law that provides for hefty fines against data brokers that publish personal information on state law enforcement officials. In the face of repeated stonewalling and prevarication by attorneys for Radaris, the judge in the case ordered that radaris.com and more than a dozen other data broker domains be transferred to the plaintiffs.
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Source: Krebs on Security ·

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