I spent the weekend researching data removal methods and decided to start with my credit report. I’m not even going to get into all of the alarming privacy invasions that popped up during this process. But when I got to the experian report, I was met with T&C box that says I have to hand over my phone carrier info and it wouldn’t let me proceed without doing so. The bureaus are legally required to give you one free report a year. It’s bad enough that these companies are even given rights to my data and now they’re using it to request further information.
I’m just so angry, frustrated, and violated.
There is a way to request it by mail, the phone thing is just a quicker way for them to verify you are who you say you are because they ALREADY know all the information, they just want to make sure YOU know the right phone number. If you use the wrong number they might give you an alternative option, or it will eventually tell you the only option is by US mail.
Pretty much anyone who has your phone number can use that information to look you up in a database, experian just spells it out because they get hacked so often its a liability for them to store any information at all, In a normal functioning society such a company would fail and never be taken seriously, but in capitalist america they get to decide if you’re worth lending money to, WHAT A COUNTRY!!!
This is not a verification request. If you look at the screenshot, they are explicitly asking to have access to the intimate data that my cellular carrier is willing to transfer to them, given my perpetual release of it. Probably because of an existing bargain between the two parties on how much each will bid if one takes on the other’s liability (phone company advertises they won’t release all your data forever > but phone company promotes credit company > credit company boldly requests usage data > credit company pays phone company and both win).
These are corporations who make their money by selling peoples’ data. Offering a free copy of the report is and always was just a pacifier for the privacy advocates who wanted legislation. They don’t actually have any interest in providing credit reports to the “consumer” securely or within the legally required timeframe. Their interest is in obtaining more data and in the security/validity of their own harvested datum, which are assets to them.
guessing they’re using the carrier’s data for verification. name, address, phone number, socials and at least partials of credit cards, bank accounts. whatever relevant that they have.
this is all data the credit bureau has on you already
It’s not, or they wouldn’t need to request my explicit permission to obtain it. You don’t need to guess what it’s for because we know that credit “bureaus” exist to profile “consumers” and sell their information, whether aggregate or personal. They’re asking to gain access to my carrier account and my device information. This is about data inventory. The credit bureaus know who has it and want permission to buy it from them.
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Can confirm, it is information they already have. Below is likely the API the telco exposes to the bureau. Each data point queried returns true, false, or a confidence score.
It is intended as an anti-fraud tool. Not saying I agree with it. Something like PGP is sufficient for building out a web-of-trust without needing to share my personal information.
Please stop with the defiling of the word ‘Fraud’. Fraud does not mean someone who claims ownership of their own identity. A $20 billion dollar association (CDIA) missing a handful of verified data points on someone’s life doesn’t constitute fraud. We’re talking about a corporation whose whole market is based on repurposing the data they collect about us. So if you’re going to make an inference as to their intention, assume it’s the one they have had since 1970. To gather more information about the public for profit and control.
Don’t use credit.
You’re majorly handicapping yourself in the US if you don’t use credit at all- you’ll get your credit score checked for apartments, home loans, utilities, even some job application background checks-- and the only way to build your credit score is to participate in the system. That’s not even mentioning the fact that the financial system makes it extremely worth your while via points/cashback/bonuses/etc as well as the extra security you have from being able to put stuff on your credit card in a major emergency. It sucks and it shouldn’t be this way but it is.
Good luck with that in the US. Credit is like a shitty pay to win scheme that you’re required to play. Some jobs check your credit report and unless you have cash to buy a house you’d be fucked without credit.
That may be viable for some combinations of finances and lifestyle, but credit scores are used in interactions that don’t involve borrowing money. I’m inclined to believer they shouldn’t be, but I don’t make the rules.
Good luck with that.
Been a while, but in several US states where the free report was mandated, they also allowed a request to be mailed in, of even faxed. Old school, but I would be surprised if they don’t still have some of those methods, and probably don’t require web form consents to privacy invading terms.
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There is no accessible option to request by mail. There is a tiny link (Contact us) that leads to a handful of FAQs. This isn’t a post in the Credit Report community. I’m not asking for advice on cred it report printing. I’m pointing out the blatant attempt by a $6b company to usurp even more rights to individuals’ lives than they already have.
I tried the mail in form and it was ignored
Thank you for pointing this out. We all know the facade of end-user control (data opt-outs, deletion requests, report downloads., etc) leads nowhere. But I appreciate the someone who does go down that rabbit hole just to document the law-breaking at the end of the tunnel.
I’m pretty sure that federally it’s mandated that you have to be able to mail it in.
Credit reporting agencies are legally required to provide you a copy for free. However, like all billionaire corporations, they have become so confident in their ability to manipulate both the government and the public’s ability to make informed decisions, that they know longer care to hide the fact that they are committing a crime.
