[tshtf]

This type of phone number intelligence is essentially free. In a few seconds, for just ten cents, one could use NextCaller (YC14) and get all of this:

https://hackernoon.com/nextcaller-what-does-your-phone-numbe...

Although I think NextCaller no longer has this Twilio integration, there are similar services that provide these details at this price point.

[rootusrootus]

Does anyone offer a monitoring service for consumers? I would pay a nominal fee to be able to dip in to the big databases like this to find out what they think they know about me. If it's so cheap on a per-lookup basis, maybe someone could offer a consolidated view. Pay us X dollars and we will go dip into the top 50 databases right now and see what they say.

Of course, they probably contractually cannot do this and would get cut off immediately if they did.

Edit: Didn't know, nextcaller is a YC company. LOL

[mxuribe]

On the surface, this sounds like a great idea (I certainly would pay for such a service)...But wouldn't that create an incentive for the data brokers to double-dip, and sell YOUR data to existing ad/marketing/scammer customers, PLUS sell YOU your OWN data?

(I should caveat, I'm having a "pessimist day" today, so even sunshine and rainbows aren't as pretty today as they normally are.)

[rootusrootus]

> PLUS sell YOU your OWN data

Yeah, sounds like credit bureaus :).

With the shear quantity of data analysis that goes on behind the scenes and affects citizens, I think we need a much better handle on transparency. We already have some level [inadequate IMO] of control over the established credit bureaus, I think that should be expanded to all data brokers that sell personal data like this. If I can't keep it from being sold, then I should at least be able to see what it is and make sure it's accurate.

Maybe it's time to look into how to pollute the data set instead.

[mxuribe]

Yep, you're right on all points!