Reputation Defender

Reputation Defender is an Internet startup that offers services to remove salacious, false, or potentially defamatory information about an individual from the Web. The company offers four main products: MyReputation, MyChild, MyPrivacy and MyEdge.http://www.reputationdefender.com/company.php

The company states that its goal is to search for all information about the purchaser of its products and their families that exists on the internet and to present that information to the client in an easy-to-understand manner. Second, the products help to remove, at the client's request, any of that information that the client feels is inaccurate, inappropriate, hurtful or slanderous. Personally identifiable information, such name, address and phone numbers is also included. Finally, Reputation Defender claims to offer the ability to control how other people are able to perceive its clients on the internet.http://www.reputationdefender.com/company.php

Michael Fertik, a Harvard Law School graduate, was one of the founders of the company. When the company was less than two months old, it was hired by the family of Nikki Catsouras, an 18-year old who had been killed in a car crash. Photos from the crash scene were used with out the consent of the family. According to press reports, more than 300 unauthorized images were removed by the company. The company typically uses a campaign of searchbot searches on the internet to identify the offending sites. Then it issues letters to the operators of the site politely and firmly asking that the offending information be removed. If unsuccessful, the company escalates the language of the letter. Finally, if unsuccessful, Reputation Defender refers the client to a lawyer.http://www.nypost.com/p/entertainment/item_k6T4zNOT1FFDdWjmWVOz8L/0

Another early client of the company was Ronen Sergev. Sergev was arrested for placing 215 consecutive calls to Priceline.com, demanding a refund. Sergev used the company to attempt to remove all references to the incident from the internet. Controversy arose over accusations that Reputation Defender had tampered with Sergev's Wikipedia entry. The company has denied that it was involved in altering the Wikipedia entry and Fertik says he would never consider it because of ethical considerations and the fact that the blogging community would attack his company for editing Wikipedia.http://www.nypost.com/p/entertainment/item_k6T4zNOT1FFDdWjmWVOz8L/0

• WIRED Blog: Need Someone to Watch Your Back?

• Blog Post: Reality Based Community: Reputation Defender

• IT Toolbox Blogs: Coolest Startup Ever - Reputation Defender

• Google Blog Search: Reputation Defender

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