http://blogs.wsj.com/digits/2010/10/24/how-to-get-out-of-rapleafs-system/

October 24, 2010

How to Get Out of RapLeaf's System

Internet tracking company RapLeaf Inc. melds information from people's online activities, such as social networking, with data from myriad real-world sources, such as voting, property and motor vehicle records, and ties this dossier to people's email addresses.

RapLeaf says it honors users' requests for their profiles to be deleted permanently.

People who want to get their information out of RapLeaf's database entirely must submit their email address to the company via its website. [1] RapLeaf explains on its site that an email address is required because it is the key to finding the correct profile.

Within 48 hours, RapLeaf says it will remove within users' information from the data it sends to ad-personalization companies. Within several weeks, the information tied to the email addresses will be purged from RapLeaf's database, according to the company's site.

Users also can opt out of RapLeaf's personalized advertising business. On the same page as the email form, they can select button that says "Opt out of Rapleaf cookies only." This will install a cookie -- a small text file associated with the Web browser -- that tells RapLeaf's system not to personalize ads based on data it has in its files about a user. If users delete cookies or switch browsers, they will need to install the "opt-out" cookie again.

The company also provides a page [2] where users can see information that RapLeaf has about them. Users must enter their email address to see data about them, including demographic information like age and gender. People can remove information from their profile.

[1] http://www.rapleaf.com/opt_out

[2] https://www.rapleaf.com/people/see_your_info