Primary Topic
This episode explores personal data privacy, focusing on how one can remove their personal information from online databases effectively.
Episode Summary
Main Takeaways
- The extent of personal information available online is often more extensive than one might expect.
- Data brokers collect and trade personal information, which can be accessed or bought by almost anyone.
- Regularly removing your data from these sites is necessary as it tends to reappear.
- Services like Incogni can automate the removal process but require ongoing subscription and vigilance.
- Legal, yet ethically dubious, the business models of data brokers pose significant privacy risks.
Episode Chapters
1: Discovering the Problem
Kim Komando discusses how her son found detailed personal information online, triggering her awareness and concern about privacy.
Kim Komando: "It's shocking how much they know. Everything from home addresses to my personal cell phone number."
2: Taking Action
Explanation of Kim's initial attempts to manually remove her data and the transition to using a service like Incogni. Kim Komando: "I tried to opt-out manually at first, but they make it so hard."
3: Interview with Darius Belayovos
A detailed discussion with the CEO of Incogni about how data brokers operate and the solutions offered by his company. Darius Belayovos: "We send out hundreds of thousands of removal requests on behalf of our users."
4: The Bigger Picture
The episode concludes with a broader discussion on the implications of data privacy and the steps listeners can take to protect themselves. Kim Komando: "It's about taking back control over your personal information."
Actionable Advice
- Regularly check what personal information about you is available online.
- Consider subscribing to a data removal service to automate the privacy protection process.
- Review and understand the privacy policies of websites and apps you use.
- Use strong, unique passwords for different sites to enhance security.
- Limit the personal information you share on social media and online platforms.
About This Episode
We talk to Darius from Incogni, who tells us how you can remove your personal data from the internet. Plus, a family claims an Amazon driver stole their cat, people are yelling a lot at Siri, and there's a new sober dating app.
People
Kim Komando, Darius Belayovos
Companies
Incogni
Guest Name(s):
Darius Belayovos
Content Warnings:
None
Transcript
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Kim Commando
Hey, it's Kim Commando today, your daily podcast to keep you up to date with all things digital and beyond. And I'd love to have you be a part of our podcast. You can make an appointment to speak with me. Just head over to commando.com. and on the top right, there's a button that says, email. Kim, fill that out. And that's it.
So it happened this past week in Everett, Washington.
Unknown
What happened?
Kim Commando
Well, 13 year old Fifi was in the driveway.
Unknown
Okay.
Kim Commando
Amazon driver drops off a package. And then Fifi likes following the Amazon driver all around.
And then the Amazon driver starts petting Fifi.
Unknown
Fifi's a dog.
Kim Commando
Fifi's a cat.
Unknown
Okay.
Kim Commando
Do you think there's a dog by the name of Fifi?
Unknown
I thought it was a human when the story started.
Kim Commando
Well, here we're showing a little bit of the video for everybody who's watching the podcast on YouTube.com kimkamado. So, you know, so obviously, there's a bond between these two. She likes Fifi, but what happens is, is that, well, the Amazon driver disappears. And guess who else disappears?
Unknown
Someone took Fifi.
Kim Commando
Fifi.
Unknown
Catnapped.
Kim Commando
Catnapped. Catnapped. But, you know, but Fifi's owner, she's not overly concerned about it.
Unknown
No.
Kim Commando
I mean, she misses Fifi, 13 year old. But she really thinks that Fifi's gonna find her way back. Cause Fifi is like, she's a strong cat.
Unknown
She gonna find her way back.
Kim Commando
Yes. Yes.
Unknown
What if this Amazon owner's a better pet owner and they never let the cat out of the house?
Kim Commando
I wonder why there wasn't a tracker on Fifi.
Unknown
There should have been.
Kim Commando
Yes, there should have been a tracker on Fifi.
Unknown
You could buy one from Kim. She'll sell you anything.
Kim Commando
That was out of line.
Unknown
Out of line.
Kim Commando
That was out of line, but accurate. So here's the deal. So Fifi has been very active along the way. Fifi has done a lot of things. And so that's why the owner says, you know what? Fifi, like, can break out of the house.
Unknown
Oh, yeah. It's all Fifi.
Kim Commando
Okay. Fifi was caught in the hen house.
Unknown
Like a legitimate henhouse, like, where actual hens are.
Kim Commando
It was a fluster clock.
Unknown
Oh, gosh. All this was a setup for one of your awful jokes.
Kim Commando
Yeah.
You know, I actually have people that say, Kim commando, you are so funny. Yeah.
Unknown
How much do you pay them annually?
Kim Commando
No, Kim commando. Like, we just listen to the podcast and your show for the jokes they do. They just love it.
Unknown
They have awful sense of humor.
Kim Commando
Well, it's called Kim Commando today. And in case you're wondering, this is not the Kim commando show.
Unknown
It is not.
Kim Commando
I mean, so many people ask me time and time again, is Kim Commando today. The Kim commando show.
Unknown
No one asked you that. The Kim commando show.
Kim Commando
Okay.
Unknown
But the Kim commando person who did is your baby.
Kim Commando
Yes.
Unknown
You hold it and you caress it. You take care of it. You nurture it.
Kim Commando
Love it.
Unknown
So many radio stations, you know, like.
Kim Commando
You know, 510 stations, just all total added up.
Unknown
And then the Kim commander today, is that, like, the adopted redheaded stepchild of the family?
Kim Commando
Yeah. That's why you're here. Just saying.
Unknown
Exactly.
Kim Commando
And so we need a couple of things from each and every one of you. Like, comment, share, follow, subscribe. Right?
Unknown
Yes.
Kim Commando
One person. That's it.
Unknown
It's easy.
Kim Commando
And also, just a quick reminder that we are giving away a $1,000 vacation gift card. And you can enter to win right now if you go to the special address, it's winfromkim.com dot.
Unknown
That's easy to remember.
Kim Commando
I know. Cause you kept screwing it up all the time.
Unknown
Multiple times.
Kim Commando
Win from Kim doctor.
Unknown
I thought it was win for Kim win. Cause of Kim win.
Kim Commando
Kim win. Wouldn't that be something you could win me for? Like. Like a lunch or a dinner or something?
Unknown
You would never commit to that, ever.
Kim Commando
You're right. I probably wouldn't. You're right.
Unknown
That contest will only happen once they create clones.
And Kim 15 five gets to go out and be part of the contest.
Kim Commando
Well, you know, it's. Cause it's so awkward.
Unknown
Yes.
Kim Commando
You know, sometimes I'm at the yacht club.
Unknown
Hold on. Let me prepare myself for another yacht club story. Yes, go ahead.
Kim Commando
And, you know, and people come up to me.
Unknown
Plebes.
Kim Commando
I refer to them as peons.
Unknown
Town folk.
Kim Commando
Regular folk.
Unknown
Yeah.
Kim Commando
And I look at them and go, however did you get in the yacht club?
Unknown
Please, Joffrey, get these rubes out of here.
Kim Commando
That is not true.
Unknown
No.
Kim Commando
All right.
Unknown
What do you think your partner's name isn't Joffrey. You're right. We have a dating app story, a couple of them actually coming up. One about how to say no or what to do when someone asks you to go out for a drink and you don't want to.
Kim Commando
Ooh, that's a good one.
Unknown
There's some options. Now.
Kim Commando
That's nice. Mocktails.
Unknown
No, it's more on another level than that.
Kim Commando
A higher level? Yes, a better level. And then we have a special guest.
They're not paying for this interview.
Unknown
They're not?
Kim Commando
No. Just letting everybody know.
Unknown
So I have to give the $25 back.
Kim Commando
Oh, God, no.
Is that.
Longtime friends, sponsors of ours in Cogni, they have helped me so much. Meaning that I don't get any spammy texts. No, I don't get any spammy phone calls.
Unknown
I need to sign up for this. Cause that's all I get, spammy texts.
Kim Commando
All right, so we're gonna be talking to the big dog.
Unknown
All right.
Kim Commando
The CEO is here from Lithuania.
Unknown
Yeah.
Picked a great time to come to Arizona.
Kim Commando
I told him. They said, they said. I said, where are you guys going to lunch? We're just going to walk. They're going to walk to the. I'm like, you're going to walk?
Unknown
This will be the last time we ever see them.
They will spontaneously combust on Bethany home.
Kim Commando
It's 100, what? 1585 degrees out today.
Unknown
That's it. That's all.
Kim Commando
That's why I had to wear a jacket.
Unknown
Sure. Yeah. It's cold out there. Sweater wear.
Kim Commando
Absolutely. So they're going to be joining us.
All right, so here's some things that you need to know. First of all, I know that you know this, but there's a political season that's happening right now.
Unknown
Really?
Kim Commando
Yes.
Unknown
When is that?
Kim Commando
Oh, I think it's heating up. There's this guy by the name of Trump.
Unknown
Not familiar. I'll have to do some research.
Kim Commando
And this one by the name of Harris Kamala. And they are not talking nice about each other.
Unknown
But we just had an assassination attempt, and they said they were gonna be civil and bring down the rhetoric.
Kim Commando
Not according to Google. Oh, Google says that if you search for it, you get Kennedy, Roosevelt, Ronald Reagan, Gerald Ford. No. Trump. No, no. And because Google says that, that is political violence.
Unknown
Okay.
Kim Commando
But John F. Kennedy wasn't.
Unknown
No. There's another story, too. Meta told someone that the assassination attempt on former President Trump never happened.
Kim Commando
No, no, I was not watching that live on television.
Unknown
Didn't happen.
Kim Commando
Was I drinking that day? Day drinking.
Unknown
They do say I have a reason for it.
Kim Commando
What is it?
Unknown
It was a hallucination.
Kim Commando
You know what? That is just a b's word from.
Unknown
Oh, yeah. I mean, and they just lean on it all the time, too.
Kim Commando
It's like when something happens, like, you know, Microsoft, we had this whole outage the other day with Azure, which is.
Unknown
Bigger than we even thought.
Kim Commando
Yes. And then they said it was a glitch. Oh, that's all it was, a glitch. But then they came out and said, well, the glitch was really a cyber attack.
Unknown
Oh, no, that's not a glitch at all by definition.
Kim Commando
But a glitch sounds better than a cyber attack.
Unknown
Oh, yeah, you can pr spin a glitch for days.
Kim Commando
Hallucination sounds so bad, so much better than you're like, just lying, error, faulty software. But people have to be aware that russian propaganda is now infiltrating social media. Of course. Yes. And so what they're doing is they're posing as local news sources. So it wouldn't necessarily be like the Phoenixpaper.com or whatever. Actually, like they're going to, like microcosm. So it could be like the Awatuke Gazette. So they're setting up these, like, fake sites that are purporting to give you all your political news.
Unknown
You know, I have a relative that created his own news, fake newspaper so he could get into tech conferences when he was a teenager.
Kim Commando
Did he really?
Unknown
Yeah, so he could get media passes.
Kim Commando
Is that the same one that did the eclipsed glasses?
Unknown
No, totally different one.
Kim Commando
Oh. Cause they. I got some smarties that was really. You know, I have a russian friend who's a sound technician.
Unknown
Why does this feel like this is a setup for a joke?
Kim Commando
And a checks one, too.
Unknown
Sniff that one out.
Kim Commando
He's so smart.
Unknown
I knew it was coming.
Kim Commando
Oh, my gosh.
All right. Do you remember. Oh, I know it was tough on you, and I don't mean to bring up something of your past that might make you upset. Okay, but do you remember that excruciating interview that you had to partake in before you had the opportunity to work with me?
Unknown
The job interview?
Kim Commando
Yes.
Unknown
You mean the time we were sitting at dinner, you had a couple, and you turned to me and said, hey, do you want to work for me? And I said, sure. And then you didn't tell me anything. It was just hired on the spot.
Kim Commando
Yeah, that went.
Unknown
Yeah, I recall that.
Kim Commando
Show up at 630.
Unknown
See you Saturday.
Kim Commando
Yeah, see you Saturday morning.
Unknown
I do remember that.
Kim Commando
Here we go. Okay, well, now there's something called the magical teleprompter.
Unknown
Okay.
Kim Commando
Okay. So you're sitting there at home on a Zoom call interview.
Okay. And so they say to you, like, so, Andrew, what are your top three traits that somebody would look and go, I want to be that person.
Unknown
Right.
Kim Commando
And so instead of you saying, like, well, because I'm so incredibly handsome.
Unknown
Sure.
Kim Commando
I'm so incredibly smart and I am a team player. Always. Is that the magical teleprompter would be right there and listening to the entire interview and then will tell you exactly what to say just to get the job? Yes. And it's an AI. It's AI driven.
Unknown
Right.
Kim Commando
So it's listening to everything, and it knows that what you're applying for, what your skill set is, your.
Unknown
So it's based on me. It's just not based on what this company wants to hear. It actually will match up.
Kim Commando
Yes. A magical teleprompter. Would you use it?
Unknown
No. I mean, I'm a pretty good conversationalist. I could answer those questions honestly. I think more my personality would come out if I was being my true self instead of trying to read something. I'm also getting older, so I'd have to squint the whole time during the interview.
Kim Commando
Yeah, that'd be bad. That'd be a bad sign.
Unknown
That wouldn't help know I was trying to read something.
Kim Commando
Wait, I gotta make the text a little bigger.
Unknown
Is that a t?
Kim Commando
It was a t player. No. Team player. Team. Team.
So what do you. What when somebody says to you, like, what are your. What's your five year goal?
Unknown
I don't set go five year goals. I know it sounds weird, but I've looked at my life and my professional career, and I went, if I set a goal at this point, I went totally in an opposite direction. I probably would have missed that opportunity.
Kim Commando
Yeah, that's true.
Unknown
So this is just me personally, I understand that people are amazing goal setters, and that's what drives them. I just look for opportunities, and if they approach themselves, I jump on them or I let them pass.
Kim Commando
Okay, so this was a question that we had.
Unknown
Now, as someone who hires, would that be an answer that you would discourage?
Kim Commando
No, I would like that answer. Okay. The thing that I don't like is when I interview people and they ask me like, so how did you get to where you are today?
Unknown
Google it.
Kim Commando
I'm like, okay, you know, how much time do you have?
Unknown
Right? Because I love to talk about myself.
Kim Commando
And this is, like, an overnight success for, like, the last. I don't know, I've been working since I was 16. What was your first job?
Unknown
First job ever. Oh, wow. That would be 15 years old. I forged my age so I could be hired at a telemarketing call center.
Kim Commando
Oh, that's right. I remember that.
Unknown
Collecting donations for the municipal motorcycle officers of California.
Kim Commando
Such a bogus thing.
Unknown
Oh, such a scam.
Kim Commando
That was awesome.
Unknown
And I didn't realize until one go. Well, what percentage actually goes to the charity? I was like, I don't know. Let me look at the pamphlet. And I look through, and it's like, 0.03%.
Kim Commando
Sorry. Yeah, sorry. My first job, I worked at Target.
Unknown
Really? I cannot see you in retail.
Kim Commando
I was at. I worked in the photo department at Target.
Unknown
Were you taking in the pictures and then actually doing the photo work, or you just send them off somewhere?
Kim Commando
Send them off somewhere. But I was, like, helping people, like, you know, buy the right camera and.
Unknown
Oh, that's cool.
Kim Commando
And I think I lasted two and a half days.
Unknown
That long?
Kim Commando
Yes. Yes.
Unknown
Did you quit or get fired?
Kim Commando
I quit. Plus, that red jacket did not look good on me.
Unknown
No, especially when you're 16. It's all about the look.
Kim Commando
That was just not good. All right, finally, this.
Have you ever yelled at your personal assistant? A virtual assistant?
Unknown
Oh, yeah. Especially when it won't turn off. We actually had this scenario this weekend. I was trying to play a song, and I have nine Google home speakers in my house.
Kim Commando
Okay.
Unknown
Just everywhere. And we wanted to play a song. The kids and I were playing a board game or something, and it started playing one song in the living room, another song in the den, and another song in the kitchen.
Kim Commando
Okay, that's annoying.
Unknown
Yes. And so we were literally yelling to get. My son lost his patience and started unplugging them because no matter what we did or say, it would not stop playing all three songs. It was all three different songs.
Kim Commando
Why was that?
Unknown
I don't know. It was just like an air. So I reset them all. Everything's fine. But, yes, I've totally yelled at him.
Kim Commando
I don't. I. What I'll just do is I'll just.
I'll murmur like, something like, siri, you're, like, stupid.
Unknown
Are you worried to her feelings? So you don't want to say it directly to her?
Kim Commando
See, I hate her.
Unknown
She's not perfect.
Kim Commando
She's, like, the only thing that listens to me, though.
Unknown
What's that?
Kim Commando
The only person who listens to me. Not that she's a person I didn't hear.
Unknown
What were you saying? I was totally got daydreamed. I wasn't even focused.
Kim Commando
I'm sorry. Come on back. Come on back. Come on back.
Unknown
But you said last week off the air that you actually yell at your technology.
Kim Commando
I do.
Unknown
Printer has got to be the number one thing people yell.
Kim Commando
I don't print anymore.
Unknown
A lot of people still have printer questions and printer problems.
Kim Commando
I know. Anytime we talk about a printer, it's like. But, like, how boring of a topic.
Unknown
I'm not saying it's a good topic, but I think of all the pieces of tech, I think printers get yelled at the most.
Kim Commando
I think so too. No, you know what? I think it's a toss up between that and, like, Siri or Alexa or, you know. Cause I. Well, Barry will actually have, like, a fight with her. Like, actually, like, you know, like, you know, God damn it.
And I look, I'm like, what is that about?
Unknown
And then you walk in the other room and do the exact same thing.
Kim Commando
No, I don't. I don't really do like that.
Unknown
Oh, you don't get angry?
Kim Commando
I don't get angry.
Unknown
Okay.
Kim Commando
I get, like, frustrated. There's a difference. Now, as it turns out, one in three Americans argue with their virtual assistant every week. One in three. So there are specific states that are more angry at the assistants than others. So, like, for example, let's see. What state do you think is, like, most patient with their virtual state?
Unknown
I'm gonna go with Utah.
Kim Commando
No, Utah. 67% of people yell at it.
Unknown
Really?
Kim Commando
Yeah, they're fucking the stereotypes. Oregon.
Unknown
Oregon. Well, they're high. That makes sense.
You don't have to forget about Siri. I don't even care anymore.
Kim Commando
Let's see, let's see. Arizona is 50%.
Unknown
So half and half. All right.
Kim Commando
Delaware, 33%.
Unknown
What's the meanest state?
If Portland's the nicest, I'll try to.
Kim Commando
Pick the meanest state. What do you think the meanest state is?
Unknown
I'm gonna go northeast. I think it's definitely gonna be something in the northeast.
New Jersey.
Kim Commando
Okay. I would have said that. I would have said New York.
Unknown
Okay. Same area.
Kim Commando
It's not the same. I'm from New Jersey. People in New York don't want to be associated with people from New Jersey, and people in New Jersey don't want to be associated with people from New York.
Unknown
I said area.
I. Oh, here's another story.
Long, long time ago, when I first started here, Mike James was running the show, and he's like, hey, I have a task for you. I'm like, what? He's like, we need new bumper music for the show. And so I went and I got a bunch of songs, and a couple of them had New York in it.
Kim Commando
Yes.
Unknown
And then we played them, and you came out and you're like, I am not from New York. I am from New Jersey. So it's not just New Yorkers that don't want to be associated.
Kim Commando
You know, I've always had trouble expressing myself, and I think as I get older, I'm better at expressing my inner emotions.
Unknown
Really? By older, do you mean when you went from three years old to four years old? Is that when you have that transition of expression?
Kim Commando
Wisconsin? Wisconsin. What? Yeah, I was really surprised about that. Wisconsin is the state that really fights the most.
Unknown
How can you yell at Suri with that accent? Oh, Suri, why aren't you listening to me? I said, what's the temperature outside?
Kim Commando
Siri, speaking of temperature, you know this story, but if you go to blueprint dot Amazon.com.
love that. Have you tried that yet with your kids?
Unknown
Not yet.
Kim Commando
You haven't?
Unknown
No.
Kim Commando
Why not?
Unknown
I don't even know what it is.
Kim Commando
Oh, you don't know what that is? I don't.
How can you not know what that is?
Unknown
Tell me.
Kim Commando
Okay, so you got your Alexa speaker, and you can ask it a question, and then you can have. You can. You can say, what do you want Alexa? The answer to be?
Unknown
Okay.
Kim Commando
Okay. So, like, for example, if you're in our house and you say the a word, and you say, who is the best mother in the entire world?
Alexa will answer.
I have searched far and wide.
I've gone through the great depths of many different areas.
I would think that it would be Mother Teresa because of her extreme kindness and willingness to help the poor.
Unknown
Is this when I'm supposed to start yelling at the speaker?
Kim Commando
And then she says, but my conclusion is that the best mother in the entire world is none other than Kim commando.
Unknown
Who wrote that?
Kim Commando
I have no idea. Oh, it's just. Okay, so. But the best one is. So, Barry, every day, Santa Barbara ogre, what's the weather like going to be today? And so, yeah, I've been tired of hearing this every day because, you know, Santa Barbara. Let me tell you, every day in Santa Barbara, it's between 65 and 75 degrees every day.
Unknown
Sounds pretty perfect.
Kim Commando
It actually is. Yeah. It rains a little bit, but pretty much you can count on 65, 75 goes down a little bit at night, maybe 50. So you can wear, like, a nice jacket, okay. Especially when you're at the yacht club.
So anyway, I programmed Alexa to say, are you a dope?
You live in a glass house in Santa Barbara.
Look out the window.
Unknown
First time he heard it, how did he react?
Kim Commando
He was like. Then he was like, what was that?
And he's like, Kim. Kim, get out of here.
Something's wrong. Somebody hacked us. Somebody hacked us some. Okay, somebody hacked it. I'm not sure what's going on, okay? But this is the same guy that said, because I set up a new wireless network at the house and I didn't have a chance to go over because I had to, I got to put all of his crap on all the time because he can't do it. So before I had a chance to do that, he's like. He comes right in my office.
There's something wrong. I'm like, what? He's like, there's a wireless network here called FBI surveillance van.
They're watching us. And I'm like, that's me, you dope.
Unknown
You're so loving.
Kim Commando
You can tell you've been married a long time.
Unknown
Exactly. When the torture you put on each other is hilarious.
Kim Commando
It is. Oh, he's not good at it.
Unknown
No.
Linda Lordenhe
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My name is Linda Lordenhe, proud president of Merrimack County Savings bank. And like the river that serves as our namesake, we're a constant yet ever changing presence. Because to us, it's bigger than banking. It's about powering communities and putting people first. It's about knowing where you came from and where you're going. That's Merrimack style. Visit us@themrrimack.com dot.
Kim Commando
Hey, it's Kim Commando. Today it's your fun podcast about all things digital. And just a quick reminder, if you're listening to the audio version of the podcast, well, you can actually watch us do the podcast@YouTube.com. kimcommando. We're like everywhere else, rumble and Facebook. But really, the easiest place to watch the podcast is@YouTube.com. kimcommando. And as I mentioned, this is not the show. And so many people are sitting there probably right now, Andrew, wondering, like, well, if this is another show, how do we get the show?
Unknown
How do you get the show?
Kim Commando
Well, wherever you get your podcast, just search for Commando with a k. Of course.
Unknown
I knew that, but I knew you wanted me to just ask you that so you could plug that. So we did it. Good job.
Kim Commando
Excellent. Excellent. Now, if you notice, there's. There's a person sitting between us.
Unknown
Oh, my gosh.
Kim Commando
Hi.
And so Darius is the CEO of Incogni now. Incogni is a sponsor of the radio show, but Incogni is not sponsoring this podcast.
Unknown
No.
Kim Commando
Just let you know yet.
Darius is the big dog there. He's the chief executive officer. And, Darius, how do we pronounce your last name?
Darius Belayovos
I would try belayovos.
Unknown
You could try that. So every single time we need someone to say it, we'll just have you say it.
Kim Commando
Yeah, we'll just say Darius.
Darius Belayovos
Yes, please.
Unknown
Darius B work.
Darius Belayovos
Perfect.
Kim Commando
How about just dar?
Unknown
Oh, yeah, we can shorten it.
Kim Commando
Okay, so here's how I ran across incogni.
Unknown
Okay.
Kim Commando
Okay. So Ian is my son, and he went to school at USC in Southern California. He's now graduated, thank God.
So much money every year. I'm just saying.
And so he was driving around LA and he's like, Kim, when you. Or mom, when he's commando.
That's really how we should be saying it. I mean, would somebody give me some respect already?
He said, mom, when you were living in LA and working for Eunices, what street did you live in? And I'm like, gosh, you know, I don't know. That was, like, a long, long time ago. I don't remember, like, what I had for lunch yesterday. Right? And he's like, oh, don't worry, I'll find it.
I'm like, what do you mean you'll find it? And, like, within 30 seconds, like, oh, you lived on Lynbrook? I'm like, oh, yeah, Lynnbrook. And he's like, do you remember the house? And we're like, I have no idea. It's like 12,000. He's like, I was like, $12,050. I'm like, how do you know all this? He goes, oh, it's on the Internet. On the Internet? And I said, so what else is on the Internet? He goes, oh, about you.
He goes, oh, well, you know, your name is Kimberly, commando.
Your age, how you're related to dad, your mom, your sisters, your brother.
What are home addresses? What the office address is.
We had a landline.
Unknown
And that was on there.
Kim Commando
I was on there. And my personal cell phone number.
Unknown
Well, that's not important. That's not something you need to keep from people.
Oh, wait.
Kim Commando
Yeah, right. And so it actually, though, is the.
Unknown
Moment you do that. One of the white pages.com. that's one of the pages that has all our information. And you see all your pat. It's a shocker.
Kim Commando
It is. It's just, I feel, like, violated. Absolutely.
Unknown
Like, this is stuff especially. I mean, we're both. I'm on the radio here in town, you're on the radio everywhere, which you bring up every ten minutes.
And this is you. You do feel for a second a little unsafe and insecure that your exact location, where you're standing at that moment is available to the planet, not just everyone else.
Kim Commando
And for free. Yeah, you don't even have to get an account. You just go to this website, you type in somebody's name, and then suddenly it's there. So I decided, you know what, I'm going to take it upon myself and do a public service for all of our listeners and all of our viewers. And every week we would have opt out. Tuesday, okay? I'd find one data base that I was in and I would figure out how to opt out. Let me tell you, they don't make it easy, okay? They make you like send an email, fax your driver's license, just give them more information.
Unknown
The place that's putting it all over the Internet, you're just gonna hand them more.
Kim Commando
Send them a letter in the us mail, send them a copy of your passport, your blood type, whatever it may be, okay?
Unknown
I'd have been out after step one.
Kim Commando
Okay, so then, so we did this. So I like, so, so we did it for like twelve weeks. Okay. Then what happened?
They started changing the instructions on how to get out because they figured out what we were doing. So they made it like, they changed the website, they changed this, they changed that. And by the way, in order to find out how to opt out, you have to read like those terms and conditions, the privacy policies. Nobody reads those, which they don't want you to opt out because that's how they make money.
So after twelve weeks of this, I was like, this is just not a good thing.
Unknown
And twelve is only like the tip of the iceberg, right?
Kim Commando
Oh, it's not even the tip of the iceberg.
Unknown
It's a particle of dust on the tip of the iceberg.
Kim Commando
Exactly, exactly. So that's when I went looking around like, there's gotta be a service to do this. There's gotta be somebody who can help me do this. There's gotta be somebody who could help all of our listeners and all of our viewers get their personal data out of these databases. Because, you know, number one, it's for your safety, okay? Also, it's like identity theft, okay?
Stalkers, creeps, anybody.
And so I tried another service.
Delete me. I didn't really like, it didn't work, you know, I found it very cumbersome.
Unknown
Okay.
Kim Commando
Okay. And. And I also didn't think it was intuitive.
And so then I signed up for incogni, and I was like, not that you're just not here.
Unknown
Yeah, just pretend you're not here.
Kim Commando
It's great.
You just give it some basic information in, like, a couple of minutes, and then I'm sitting there going like, oh, this can't work.
Unknown
Right? Too easy to work.
Kim Commando
Yeah, it's too easy. This is like, this is. And then I'm just gonna stick with it because I'm gonna tell everybody how, what a bad service this is, because there's no way that they can do what they say that they're going to do. There's just no way.
So I go home, or, I'm sorry, I do this at work. I go home. Tell Barry. He's like, you'll meet Barry. He's like, he's a curmudgeon.
Opposites attract, okay? Everything's always happy. Like, he always says, like, kim, it's not all ponies, unicorns, and flowers all the time, okay? And he's like, that guy, like, oh, death is gonna be right around the corner. Okay? He's like, oh, Kim, that doesn't work. That's never gonna work. There's nobody who can ever do all that. There's nothing work.
So then time goes on, and I'm not getting any spammy phone calls.
I'm not getting spam texts.
And I noticed that, like, even my spammy email, I'm not getting anything in the mail anymore. Not that we ever get mail anyway, right? But no credit card offers or crap like that.
And then Barry's like, so that incognito. And then that's when we signed you. We called you up and said, hey, we got something. And that I think that this is a great service.
So right now I'm out of 212 data broker sites. People search sites.
Unknown
Yeah. When I was looking on your website.
Kim Commando
Oh, no, I'm sorry. I'm at 231.
Unknown
It said there was a, showed a screenshot of how you guys update the customers with the progress. Also, too, you said realistic expectations on the website, which I really appreciate because it's not like overnight, you'll be awful. It's like, here's the timeline. Here's how it's going to take. But it showed on one of the update screenshots that you had sent out 538 different notices. There's that many places online where someone's.
Darius Belayovos
Holding my personal information realistically even more.
And what we also do we need to repeat those requests? So this is also very important because if you would use a service for a little while, yes, you can remove that information, but realistically, you're still online, you're using the services. So it will come back and it requires a sort of regular cleaning.
Unknown
And as long as I have my subscription action active, you'll steep sending out those messages.
Darius Belayovos
Yes, we'll do that. We're adding new data brokers.
It's very much an ongoing process.
Kim Commando
So how many of these sites actually exist?
Infinite.
Darius Belayovos
When we're talking about data brokers, people's search sites is like one segment of it. So this is where you go in, you type in your name, last name, or someone else's name and get that information.
There's 100 plus or so sites like that.
A few dozen are kind of the relevant ones that generally feeds the information to the other ones. So it's kind of a web of information overall. But we also have even more data brokers that, well, what we call private databases, essentially, because you cannot just google what they have.
But you're using fitness apps, you're using dating apps, you're browsing the Internet, all that information is being collected. And if you would go and read some of those terms of services and privacy policies, which we don't.
Kim Commando
Nobody does.
Darius Belayovos
Nobody does. Yeah, but often there's like a point, you agree that we will share information with partners and affiliates and so on, so forth.
So this is how this gets started and that information being collected and then shared, and then one broker collects one piece of information, someone goes for your LinkedIn, someone gets your browsing habits, and then that information is being traded between those. And the scary part is that at the end of the day, you have companies you have never heard about having elaborate profiles about you and doing, you know, and that's.
Kim Commando
I've noticed that because what you go on this dashboard, when you go on the dashboard, it tells you, like, all the different companies and that you're trying to get the name, my name out of or my address. And I look at them like, because I think back to, like, the twelve weeks I was doing this of hell that I was thinking like, you know, I didn't even know. I don't. If you google these, these names of these companies, because I've tried this, it's like it's a po box, right? You know, or something like that. And it's just a shell of a company that's making money by selling your, like you said, the apps, maybe your driving habits, maybe something that you put online that is affecting your health, that could go to your insurance company. I mean, this is so interconnected that it's more than just like we talked about like feeling that evasion privacy. Like I did, like seeing my cell phone number and my home address and my landline, which I still am the only person in America that I think that has a landline.
Unknown
I think you are you and the White House the only ones.
Kim Commando
You know why I have a landline?
Unknown
Cause you have an older husband.
Kim Commando
That, but because we have an elevator.
Unknown
Oh, you have to have a landline for your elevator.
Kim Commando
Yes.
Unknown
That's a way to brag right there, just out of nowhere.
Kim Commando
No, no. It's just kind of crazy that you need to have a landline in order. My landline was there. I.
So how do you know how to get people out of all these databases?
I mean you must have a whole bunch of people that are figuring all this out because they change their methods.
Darius Belayovos
They change maybe to understand the scale that we're operating right now. We're doing more than a million requests a week.
Unknown
Wow.
Darius Belayovos
Yeah. So this is not something that you can do manually and.
Yeah.
What's really cool right now is that we can like the data brokers have been using technology to collect this information. Now we can use technology to kind of fight back to give some tools for the users because when we started we tried very similar approach like before building a cognil. Let's try to do it manually. Let's see how it works.
I don't think anyone lasted more than like a couple of weeks because at the end of the day you have full inbox of random replies and all filled with dark patterns.
Kim Commando
Yes. And that's true.
Unknown
What's a dark pattern?
Darius Belayovos
Essentially when you're not necessarily declining user but you're making it so difficult.
So just sort of silly example. But we had one data broker that will, after you submit a request, they will reply in the subject line, your data has been removed. But if you actually click on the link, it says to confirm your removal, please click on this link. And it's very unintuitive.
Kim Commando
It's very shady. It's very shady. And the whole, the whole, you know, I don't know how we got to this point where every piece of information, whatever we do is available for sale. And I use the word infinite, but I really, what I'm talking about is the number of data points that people are collecting about us is truly, it's truly infinite because we keep creating more data points every single day. Yeah.
Darius Belayovos
And if you would go to some of those bigger data brokers, say axiom in their marketing material, they have like, hey, we cover like 80 something percent of worldwide Internet users and we have like 1000 data points per user. I don't know 1500 things about myself.
Unknown
I couldn't list them. I got a left foot, I got a right foot.
Probably stuck at ten.
Kim Commando
So now you also put people on the data suppression list. Explain what that is.
Darius Belayovos
Correct. So this is some of those companies, what they do is so they don't read your information, they put you in the suppression list. So essentially, once the next batch of information comes to their databases, they won't add this person.
I think a smaller fraction of companies actually do this. So this is why we need to continuously repeat the process. But yeah, it's, I think, a very good thing overall. So that just means that for this particular company, once the information has been deleted, it's out.
Unknown
Oh, good. I've actually had a conversation with someone about this and we didn't know the answer. A people search website, one of those types of websites. Is that a legitimate legal business?
Darius Belayovos
Yeah.
Unknown
So what they're doing is perfectly legal, ethical, maybe another argument. But they're buying the data and posting it online. That's all legal.
Kim Commando
Yes. Now, their methodology is very sketchy.
Unknown
Correct.
Kim Commando
Because, I mean, I like when you look somebody up and it's like. And they give you that progress bar, like scanning the Internet, it makes you look like they're really doing something like, oh, like we're 60% there, 70%.
That's a dark pattern too.
Darius Belayovos
They don't market themselves like, hey, we're like a stalker 101.
They market themselves as find your friends or something like that. So they try to put a positive spin on it. But I think, yeah, it's legal. But from the sort of ethical point of view, this is something I think as a company, you kind of need to be mindful about what side effects your business could have.
Kim Commando
Well, it's a fabulous service.
Unknown
I'm going to have to sign up.
Kim Commando
You know what?
You should.
My iPad died or else I was going to look up. I was going to tell you where to go. Cause I wanted you to. I wanted to see how much of your stuff is on.
Unknown
I don't want to know.
Ignorance is bliss. Let me sit in bliss.
Cause a lot's probably up there.
Kim Commando
Yeah, I mean, they probably have, you know, your ex wife, your sisters, you know, everything, everybody. Your home address.
Unknown
I don't shut up. I blab it to anyone and anywhere. So I just tell you. Yes, my cell phone number is six. No, I'm just kidding.
Kim Commando
Yeah, that would be fun.
That'd be fun. Well, Daria, thanks for coming in. Thanks for telling us about incogni. Incogni.com.
again, they're not paying for this interview. I just really wanted everybody just to be aware that this is a fabulous service.
If you do want to, there's a radio code. Kim, 60. You can save 60%.
I like that you added the extra email addresses.
Darius Belayovos
Absolutely. This is one of the features that our users have been asking.
Now with one account, you can have multiple addresses, multiple emails support.
Because this is just normal for us to have multiple emails. Maybe we live for sure. A couple of locations. So I think this very valuable addition.
Kim Commando
So again, I get zero spam phone calls, Daria, thank you. Zero spammy texts. Love that.
And plus, I feel better knowing that all this stuff is just not out there for you for the taking. Because it is. I mean, literally, I mean, if I, again, I would look you up. Maybe we'll do that.
Unknown
What's not? Let's say we did. There's a lot, there's a lot of stuff out there.
Kim Commando
All right. So incogni.com.
use code chemistix. It's a free 30 day trial, but I think you're really going to like it.
Lynn
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Kim Commando
Hey, it's Kim commando today. We're so glad that you're here with us. And just a quick reminder, make sure that you like, comment, share, follow.
Because that's really important. I mean, it's very important because if you can just give us one more view or one more listener. Yes, we love that. And don't forget to sign up for my free newsletter. Sign up at get kim.com. because if you're not tech ahead, you're going to be left behind.
Unknown
That's the first time I've heard you do that one. I love that.
Kim Commando
That's a good one, isn't it?
Unknown
That should be a t shirt.
Kim Commando
If you're not tech ahead, you're going to be tech behind.
Unknown
I love that.
Kim Commando
Get Kim.com, gen Z and millennials, they.
Unknown
Got this new thing called sober curious. It's the sober curious movement. Have you heard of curious?
Kim Commando
No, I have not.
Unknown
So it's basically people who think that they don't have an alcohol problem, but maybe they do. Maybe alcohol affects their lives differently and they're not even noticing of it. So they're thinking about going sober to see what the positive effects are.
Kim Commando
Okay.
Unknown
And it's a really big trend with, again, Gen Z and millennials and on social dating apps and people who are in this movement, when they're sitting there chatting and you're passing all the first couple of how you show and where you work, blah, blah, blah, hey, let's go get a drink. Well, they're trying to be sober.
That's not their lifestyle anymore. But they don't want to look like they're no fun. They don't have to make it bly. Like, sorry, I have to take my dog to Mars tomorrow. So there's a company that has come out with a new dating app. It's called clubpiller.com.
Kim Commando
Okay.
Unknown
And I learned that pillar in Spanish meets catch. So it's clubcatch.com sober. Everybody on the app is going to be sober. So there's no reason to ask. Let's go get a drink. Because no one's drinking, so you can't do that because you're going to get a no club sober.
Kim Commando
What do you think?
Unknown
First of all, way too specific. I mean, this is like farmers only.com.
Kim Commando
Yeah, that's true.
Unknown
There's not enough people on the regular dating apps. Like, there's dating apps that have 10 million people, and after two days, you've buzzed through everybody.
Also, just communicate that you're not drinking.
Kim Commando
Yeah, I don't think you need to go to a separate app.
Unknown
Put it in your profile. Hey, I don't drink. It's not my thing. There's a little thing on most dating apps where it says, I drink socially. I don't drink at all. And I don't. Maybe because I'm older, I drink all the time. There is. There's an option for every day.
Kim Commando
Okay.
Unknown
And, you know, I think this is way too. I don't know if this is gonna work. It's way too specific.
Kim Commando
Well, yeah, I've been sober since 2015.
Unknown
Intentionally or you just never were. 2015.
Kim Commando
Well, 815 last night.
Unknown
I was like, I had wine with you six weeks ago.
I don't think it's gonna work. I think it's way too specific.
Kim Commando
Hey, it's Kim Commando. Today, it's your fun podcast about all things digital. Just a quick reminder is that if you're trying to find the Kim commando show, just search for Commando with a k wherever you get your podcast. It's brand new up there. We've not had the Kim Commando show as a podcast ever, until recently. So this is brand new. So to make sure that you try it out, you tell all your friends. And also we have our daily tech updates, which is a 62nd little radio feature. Podcast feature. That's always fun to listen to, too. So were you really getting into podcasts? Yes. So search for Commando with a k.
Unknown
Another dating app story. This one's more about security, though. A research group tested all the major dating apps to find out if they could use malicious software bugs, other features within the app and the site to pinpoint the location of users. So if I was someone who was, let's say, a stalker and you were on there and I wanted to hunt you down, if you were on Bumble or hinge, how close do you. Do you think I could get to your exact location?
Kim Commando
Bumble or hinge? Well, you know, they have the maps on snap.
Unknown
Not considered a dating site, though, so that was.
Kim Commando
Well, I'm just saying, like, the technology is there. It's. It's pretty close.
Unknown
How close do you think, though? What. What distance do you think would be too scary?
Kim Commando
Anything under, like 20ft.
Unknown
Six and a half feet.
Kim Commando
No.
Unknown
Yes.
Of the ones they tested, Grindr, that's.
Kim Commando
Like how far we are sitting apart.
Unknown
Six and a half feet.
Kim Commando
And that's like, way too close.
Unknown
That's a security problem.
Kim Commando
Yeah.
Unknown
Grindr, like one of the. One of the apps that tested the best. But that was still, like 300ft away. It wasn't that great.
Kim Commando
Six and a half feet?
Unknown
Yes. Six and a half feet.
Precise location.
Kim Commando
Can you see that on anybody or just people that you enable your permission? I mean, able.
Unknown
Neither of which. It has to be someone who's using specific filters and software to use the apps location tracker to then get to.
Kim Commando
You, which means they can do it. If they. If you're. So if you're like. Like some whack job you hooked up with some whack job on the servers, they can come figure out where you are, like, easily. Yeah.
Unknown
This is not. We're not talking about the russian hackers that are doing this. This is people, anyone who wants to track you down and this.
Kim Commando
Is there anything you can do? Can you turn off, like, location services?
Unknown
You can you. Can you use your phone and say, do not enable. Now. There's some dating apps, though, that'll say no, no. We want to collect your data. We want to collect where you are. They say it's so you can use the service better. But if you don't enable where you are, then you won't be able to use the service. So that's a choice that you're going to have to make. You also can be vague about your location. You can put in a general area or a zip code that's near you that's not exactly you, maybe a little different or harder to use the app. But in a big city like Phoenix, there's so many zip codes, it would be fine. Not a problem. Smaller towns would be a problem.
Kim Commando
Wow. I mean, you're better off just like going to a bar.
Seriously.
Unknown
But now, if you're sober, you're sober.
Kim Commando
That's not gonna work.
Unknown
You're just messed up on all ends.
Kim Commando
Forget it. It's not good for you.
Unknown
Single for life. Sorry.
Kim Commando
This program is a copyrighted production of Westar multimedia entertainment and protected by the copyright laws. Any rebroadcast or use of this program.
Unknown
For commercial, business, economic or financial purposes.
Kim Commando
Without the written permission of Westar multimedia entertainment, it's strictly prohibited.
Lynn
It's time to gather loved ones together for all the holidays. Best spread Lynn's has great prices on all your favorite Thanksgiving items, from delicious turkey with all the fixings to mashed potatoes and yummy pies. We have everything you need to create your perfect Thanksgiving dinner, whether it's cooking the traditional meal, completely store bought, or a combination of both. Your best holiday meal starts here. Learn more and start shopping today@lynnsgrocery.com. linz where delicious begins.