Data Broker Radaris Loses Domains in Privacy Lawsuit

The consumer data broker Radaris.com had its primary domain, radaris.com, along with over a dozen other data broker domains, transferred to plaintiffs following a lawsuit alleging violations of a New Jersey privacy law. This legal action stems from Radaris's alleged failure to comply with removal requests for personal information, particularly concerning state law enforcement officials. The judge ordered the domain transfer after repeated stonewalling and prevarication from Radaris's legal representatives. Prior to the domain seizure, the radaris.com website was a prominent platform for people-search services, known for its extensive collection of personal data. In February 2024, Radaris was sued by Atlas Data Privacy Corp, a company actively pursuing data brokers accused of contravening Daniel's Law, a New Jersey statute. Daniel's Law empowers state law enforcement officials, government personnel, judges, and their immediate families to demand complete removal of their personal information from commercial data brokers and people-search services. The law also mandates fines of $1,000 per violation for companies that disregard these removal requests. Less than a month after Atlas initiated legal proceedings against Radaris, KrebsOnSecurity published an investigative report detailing the company's co-founders, Igor and Dmitry Lubarsky. These Russian-born brothers, residing in Massachusetts, reportedly operate a complex network of people-search companies, alongside Russian language dating services and affiliate marketing programs. Attorneys representing the Lubarsky brothers issued threats of legal action for defamation, demanding the removal of the KrebsOnSecurity story and a public apology. Their legal counsel asserted that the reporting was "wildly inaccurate" and claimed that the actual owners of the company were Ukrainian individuals residing in Ukraine. In response, KrebsOnSecurity reinforced its findings, presenting evidence that the Lubarsky brothers were indeed the architects and operators of Radaris and other data broker entities, utilizing a fictitious CEO's name to mask their involvement. The report further detailed how the Lubarsky brothers, identified as Dmitry "Dan" and Gary/Igor, established and managed these data brokerage operations. The domain transfer represents a significant setback for Radaris and underscores the increasing legal scrutiny faced by data brokers that fail to adhere to privacy regulations, particularly those designed to protect sensitive information of public officials. The case highlights the effectiveness of targeted legal action and investigative journalism in holding data brokers accountable for their data handling practices and compliance with state-specific privacy legislation.