What is Social Catfish?
Definition
Social Catfish is a people-search website. Its own opt-out page lets US residents ask it to stop selling their personal information, and says it will delete what it can verify as theirs.
- Category
- Privacy
- Also called
- SocialCatfish, Social Catfish people search
- Last updated
Social Catfish (socialcatfish.com) is a people-search site: a company that lets visitors look up information about a named person. It is not a government service, and it is separate from "catfishing", the practice of pretending to be someone else online.
This entry sticks to what the company says on its own opt-out page, because that is the part that matters if you found yourself listed.
What its opt-out page says
The page offers four request types: opt out, access, deletion and correcting information. For the opt-out, the company says that after you submit, your information will not be available for sale on the site within 15 days. It says it does this by deleting the information it holds and has for sale that it can verify as related to you, and taking steps so that it is not reacquired.
The page also says it accepts requests from residents of every US state, not only the states with privacy laws, and names California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Nevada, Oregon, Texas, Utah and Virginia as states whose residents may have specific rights. If it has a good-faith belief that a request is fraudulent, it may ask for information to verify your identity.
One listing is not the whole picture
A people-search site is usually one of many. Your name, address and phone number can sit on others at the same time, and a deleted listing can be rebuilt if the site buys fresh data later. Check your name again every few months.
People-search site vs. catfishing
- A people-search site sells or displays records about you.
- Catfishing is someone building a fake identity to deceive you, often in a romance scam.
The two meet when a person searches a name to check whether a profile is real.
How to protect yourself
- 1
Use the site's own opt-out form
Go to socialcatfish.com/opt-out, choose your state and submit the opt-out request. Use an email address you can check, since you may need to confirm it.
- 2
Re-check after a few weeks
Search your name again once the 15 days the company states have passed, and again every few months.
- 3
Cover the other listings
Serus finds the people-search sites and data brokers that list you where you live and removes your details from them, and tries again if they reappear.
- 4
Cut what feeds these sites
Limit what you post publicly on social media and use a separate email for sign-ups.
See where your personal data is exposed
Serus finds it on data brokers and people-search sites and removes it.
Frequently asked
How do I remove myself from Social Catfish?
Use the opt-out form on the company's opt-out page. It says your information will not be available for sale on the site within 15 days of the request.
Can people outside California use the opt-out?
The company says it accepts and honors requests from residents of all US states.
Is Social Catfish the same as catfishing?
No. Catfishing is creating a fake online identity to deceive someone. Social Catfish is a people-search website.
Sources
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