Trolls don't hide under bridges anymore. For most modern day trolls,
hiding behind an anonymous name on the Internet serves them just fine. From there they can harass whoever they want with little fear of being caught.
If you've been following any of the major controversies surrounding Internet trolling, then you'd know that an Internet troll's strongest weapon is "doxxing." "Dox" is techie slang for someone's personal information.
Trolling organizations like Anonymous and 4Chan will choose a target, collect their information, such as name, phone number, address, online accounts, etc., and then "drop dox," or release their information online. Hundreds or thousands of Internet trolls then appear and start harassing that person.
The scary thing is it's possible to get anyone's information, especially if a troll is willing to spend a few dollars. Almost everyone's information - including yours - is publicly available through a variety of "tracking" sites.
Even if you manage to keep your real name or personal information off of the Internet, someone in your household might slip up and put their info online. Or your name and number might end up in an online phone book without your knowledge, which is all trolls need to get started. "Doxxing" a target almost always means that trolls will start crank calling your home.
Once these cyber hooligans figure out information like your home phone number, your only option is to change your number. There are preventative measure you can take, however.
Bonus tip: Want to make sure that someone in your life is trustworthy? You might want to do a background check yourself. Click here to find out how to do it.
Here are some of the most popular people-finding sites and tips on how to get off their lists.
BeenVerified
Price: $22.86 monthly subscriptionOpt-out form: www.beenverified.com/optout
BeenVerified is a great place to get started if you want to find out just how much information these people finding sites can find. If a stalker was to search for your name, you might be surprised with just how much information that they'd find.
Go ahead and jump over to the BeenVerified website and run a search on yourself.
You'll see the silly, fake popup screens that are really just telling you what the BeenVerified product does. It took me about five minutes to find my listing, and I had to read screens like this one.
BeenVerified's opt-out form isn't too tough to find. Click here to jump over to the opt-out page, then search for your profile.
Select it and provide your email address for removal.
Pipl
Price: FreeFree opt-out page: pipl.com/directory/remove/
Pipl is a jump-off point for many new-jacks to cyber stalking. It lets people search records listed in many people-finding sites. While you can remove a listing on Pipl's directory that's associated with your name, you can't remove search results from other sites.
Opting out of the sites that list your name, however, might take you off of Pipl's search results when it builds its next search list.
PeopleSmart
Price: $19.95 monthlyFree opt-out page: www.peoplesmart.com/optout-go
PeopleSmart is a higher-end people finding service. While all people-finding search engines are usually designed for businesses first, people second, PeopleSmart is priced toward professionals.
Similarly, the company makes you jump through more hoops than most others if you want to opt out.
You'll have to create an account with PeopleSmart before opting out. Once the account is created, simply follow the steps outlined over at PeopleSmart's opt-out page.
CheckPeople
Price: $29.95 for a single reportFree opt-out page: www.checkpeople.com/optout
If someone wants to find a "full" report for one person in particular, then CheckPeople is a good option. The site offers subscription options similar to many other sites.
The site has a free-to-preview search engine. You can use it to find out if you're on its records. Click here and fill out the accompanying form to keep your name off of CheckPeople's list.
Spokeo
Price: $4.95 for a six-month membership planFree opt-out page: www.spokeo.com/opt_out/new
One of the most popular people finding sites for Internet trolls and stalkers is Spokeo. The site uses publicly available information through the White Pages, Public Records and social media to build "profiles" about its users.
A "preview" of these profiles is freely available. Try searching your name to see if you're listed.
Did you find your name? Well you're in luck, because that means all you have to do to get your name off the list is to visit Spokeo's opt-out page.
Copy the URL of your profile, then enter your email address. Keep in mind that Spokeo might have multiple profiles for you, so be sure to perform a thorough search.
Intelius
Price: $7.95 for "seven-day full access"Free opt-out page: www.intelius.com/optout.php
One of the biggest names in people-hunting, Intelius is the one on this list to watch out for. If you check out Intelius's homepage, you'd find that the company offers identity protection as well as its public records search services.
Creepy, right? Well, that's just the tip of the iceberg. Getting your name off of Intelius's radar is tougher than other sites. You'll need to visit this page, provide identification, an email address and then wait for the company to get back to you.
