(edit title) Is it possible to hide your home address? How to hide my identity from ratsit.se Options

[andreim]

Hi,

I'm intending to hide my home address from the public access, so that nobody to know where I live.
Is it possible to do such a request somewhere, so my home address to be removed from sites like ratsit.se?
Which are other web sites from Sweden which make aggregation of my personal data and makes it public?

Thank you,
A.

[Yorkshireman]

You cannot.

The information is Public Information, just as Your tax information is public information. Skatteverket pass the information they have including the population register to a database for distribution.

When you send anything to an authority, unless it is deemed secret for whatever reason, then that also becomes public information that anyone can request to see. When there is a criminal trial, the evidence used is also public information and you can request to view the evidence etc... Sweden is an open society.

This is why Sweden is at-odds with regards the EU Data Protection Directive(s) since it goes against the fundamental openess of the country.

[djmarko]

There should be a limit to what private information is revealed online, i dont like the fact, someone can pay 30Kr to check my salary online, what about fraudulent activites and what not

[Migga]

Information should be free. It`s the ones who use information for criminal acts that should be held responsible, not the information itself or the ones providing the information.

[PDX]

There should be a limit to what private information is revealed online, i dont like the fact, someone can pay 30Kr to check my salary online, what about fraudulent activites and what not

Sorry, but they cannot. They can only check your total income, your salary details are not available to anyone.

~~~PDX~~~

[PDX]

You cannot.

Sorry, Yorkshireman, but yes you can. If you are deemed to be important enough, the Säkerhetspolisen can arrange for your identity to be completely secret .

~~~PDX~~~

[djmarko]

Information should be free. It`s the ones who use information for criminal acts that should be held responsible, not the information itself or the ones providing the information.

well it does encourage crime though! i feel personal information should be limited or at least kept to the barest minimum

[andreim]

Hi,

Thank you all for the input provided!
Meanwhile I've got a reply from Ratsit.se:

"Thank you for your email.
Unfortunately we can´t remove your information from our web-site. Ratsit doesn’t have a register of our own to remove information from, since we are just a retailer. All of the information shown is public records. It is used to make safer deals and transactions between people and companies.

The only people that are not to be found on Ratsit, are people with protected identity or protected address.

To apply for secret address, you must contact Skatteverket.

If you want to read more about credit reports, and the laws that we follow, go to www.datainspektionen.se.

Kind Regards,
Ratsit AB
Ålegårdsgatan 1
431 50 Mölndal"

So, I have contacted Skatteverket via e-mail and I'll see what they will say.

Although some people like transparency in Sweden, I don't consider that my home address should be made public in any circumstances and I don't know who actually needs this information in a good way. Want my personal data: no worries, please contact Skatteverket!

Of course, if a company wants to do a credit check on me, he has to pay for it and get it, but I will also be informed at my home address about this through a letter...

Regards,
A.

[Yorkshireman]

There should be a limit to what private information is revealed online, i dont like the fact, someone can pay 30Kr to check my salary online, what about fraudulent activites and what not

Then you won't like the fact that they don't need to pay 30kr, a quick call to Skatteverket and they will tell you what tax you paid. You can even ask the folkbokföring dept. about whether you have/had relatives and what their personal numbers are/were.

Employers can ring Försäkringskassan to find out about your sick days reported etc...
Swedish Church will tell you if someone is a member or not
Lantmäteriet will tell you if someone owns property and where it is
Skolverket will tell you school results
Transportstyrelsen will tell you who owns a car and other info, if you provide the RegNr. If I remember correctly they even have an SMS service for that.
Tingsrätt have all the information available for court cases, though sometimes there is a secrecy issue.
Kronofogden will tell you if someone has debts and/or betalningsanmärkningar

You don't need to subscribe to services, just ring around the public authorities. If you sent in a letter to the Kommun, then that becomes public information. In theory, if I wanted to read what you wrote, I can just ask.
Authorities are also obliged to provide answers to questions received, you may not always get a sane response but they are obliged to respond.

Sorry, Yorkshireman, but yes you can. If you are deemed to be important enough, the Säkerhetspolisen can arrange for your identity to be completely secret .

I know , there are also other reasons you can get secret identity (also new personal number) when you are in need of protection. Used a lot by women leaving islam, jehovas witnesses and other cults, and/or violent partners.

[andreim]

I know , there are also other reasons you can get secret identity (also new personal number) when you are in need of protection. Used a lot by women leaving islam, jehovas wit ... (show full quote)

I know , there are also other reasons you can get secret identity (also new personal number) when you are in need of protection. Used a lot by women leaving islam, jehovas witnesses and other cults, and/or violent partners. ... (hide full quote)

Not only that. For example, myself coming from an Eastern European country, experiences of life have learned me that such kind of information is better to be hidden from people which might have bad intentions regarding me. For example:

-a co-national which wants to come where I live to find my car and to scratch it in the parking (it happened!)
-maybe I've been in a relationship by mistake with a girl which has a boyfriend, and that guy finds out. Someone might knock on my door or waits for me down to the stairs (never happened, but I've hear cases!)
-an ex-girlfriend which wants to find the place where I live and to make something in order to annoy me
-someone which simply wants to annoy me, by simply threatening me with an unexpected visit (it happened to me in Sweden!)

Sounds funny, but it isn't. And, whoever found my wallet on the street or whatever document, he/she can find my name on LinkedIn or Facebook. That's enough, I'd say...

[Yorkshireman]

What you list is not serious enough to get your details hidden. They are might happens, if such and such. And you cannot back them up with any credible proof that they will happen. Skatteverket require documentation from Social Services, Police, the Court etc... something that helps show that you are indeed under threat.

[Migga]

well it does encourage crime though! i feel personal information should be limited or at least kept to the barest minimum

No not really. It encourages crime just as much as owning a car since that can be used as a getaway vehicle when robbing a bank.

[andreim]

Skatteverket require documentation from Social Services, Police, the Court etc... something that helps show that you are indeed under threat.

Looks quite complicated and I don't have any proof regarding this.
So, probably I will just have to accept the things as they are and leave the address as it is right now: public.

Anyway, I am expecting from a feedback from Skatteverket. Maybe there is something which can be done.
I will let you know their feedback; maybe they are other residents interested in this matter, too...

[andreim]

"Your adress and personal number are public information in Sweden. You can not hide it. If there is a serious threat against you and your life, you can apply to be protected person at the taxoffice. You write us a letter where you describes your situation and attach polis reports that supports your claim.

Skatteverket strävar efter att ständigt förbättra verksamheten och vi skulle därför uppskatta om du tog dig tid till att svara på fem frågor i följande enkät http://www.skatteverket.se/serviceenkat Tack för din medverkan!"

Final conclusion: there's nothing which can be done. This situation does not applies to me, as I don't have any threat against me to prove, so far...

[madroni]

it also comes in handy if you ever left your car lights on, i can find your number through your car reg and text you to inform you of that..silly reason but there are good points...