How LexisNexis Makes Money With Your Info

In my last post “What Are Data Brokers?” I told you about companies that make money by collecting your information and selling it. One of the companies I mentioned was LexisNexis, who I called “a famous law database company.” Strictly speaking, they are a data analytics company. They maintain lots of databases of information: case law, newspapers, patent research. They also provide disaster recovery services for businesses, give guidance to companies on compliance with federal and state law, and help insurance companies evaluate customers.

LexisNexis works with a lot of industries, like banks, insurance companies, and law enforcement. Part of the work they do is to gather information on you. LexisNexis is one of the oldest data brokers in the US. They have files on pretty much everyone who interacts with government agencies and financial companies. Every person with a file has their own identification number called a LexID. The point is to verify your identity and your history so that banks and insurance companies determine the rates to give you…but there can be a lot more in your file than that.

I found this out by reading the book The Hank Show, a biography of a computer programmer named Hank Asher who was also one of the major figures in the birth of the data broker industry. In the prologue, the author McKenzie Funk explains what a LexID is and talks about the information listed in his personal LexisNexis report. The report contained his educational record, his employment history, political donations, and major financial purchases like his car and his house.

In McKenzie Funk’s words, “My LexID was assigned to me by a private company sometime in 2001. Think of the number as a barcode tracking a package: me (though yours is also tracking you).”

How to get your LexisNexis report

Every year, you can ask credit reporting agencies for a copy of your credit report. Just like with credit reporting agencies like Experian and TransUnion, you can ask LexisNexis for a copy of your own report. I went to the Consumer Disclosure Report website and submitted my information. I had to submit my legal name, birthdate, and current mailing address. Then, I had to add my driver’s license and Social Security number. Within two weeks, I got a letter in the mail (not email, an actual physical letter) explaining my privacy rights and a link to my report.

Some of the items I found in my report:

• An old mailing address
• My old email address
• A current email address (and my internet provider and IP address)
• The address of a late relative
• My cell phone service provider
• Marketing agencies that had been given my information
• Credit card companies making inquiries about me
• Auto insurance records
• Motor vehicle registration for an old car

There are some states which have stricter and more detailed privacy laws than others. In the following states, LexisNexis lists the types of information that is sold or shared, and also gives you the option to opt out of selling or sharing your information:

• California
• Colorado
• Connecticut
• Delaware
• Iowa
• Minnesota
• Montana
• Nebraska
• New Hampshire
• New Jersey
• Oregon
• Tennessee
• Texas
• Utah
• Virginia

Because I live in one of these states, I was able to make a request for some of my information to be removed. This wasn’t a perfect solution, but at least I have some control over my information and my life. You can have that, too. I recommend that everyone get their Consumer Disclosure Report and see what’s inside.