PRINCETON, N.J. (1010 WINS) – A company based in Princeton that sells personal data about consumers was reportedly advertising info on more than a million high school students as it told regulators it didn’t knowingly possess data about minors.
A report in the Philadelphia Inquirer says ALC Inc. had an advertisement on its website for data on 1.2 million students ages 14 to 17 – including their names, addresses, high schools, and hobbies, as well as info about their parents.
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“This core student data is obtained via a multitude of different sources, including public profiles from social media sites, local news publications and websites, high school sports websites, and membership sites,” read the ad, which was removed from ALC’s site after the Inquirer asked about it.
The info, last updated on Dec. 20, was advertised when the company registered as a data broker in Vermont with a form dated Jan. 31, the Inquirer reports.
According to the Inquirer, ALC declared on its registration form that it “has no knowledge nor do we allow the collection or use of data on any persons under the age of 18.”
That could cause issues for the company, because a new Vermont law – the first of its kind in the country – requires data brokers like ALC let regulators know if they have data on minors.
“Ether they’ve filed a false declaration with the state or their advertising to the industry is fraudulent,” Fordham University law professor Joel Reidenberg told the Inquirer.
In response to the story, ALC’s chief marketing officer Sherry Booles told the Inquirer the company is “reviewing this information and will update our Vermont registration as needed.”
“Thank you for calling this to our attention,” Booles wrote to the paper. “We have removed the products you have inquired about from our website while we review this matter.”