Catalog Choice Protects Consumer Privacy with MailStop™ Shield

BERKELEY, Calif., June 27, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- As consumers seek new ways to protect their privacy both online and off, Catalog Choice - a TrustedID® company and the nation's leading mail preference and privacy service - offers a new way to protect personal information through its enhanced version of MailStop™ Shield. The redesigned, premium service allows consumers to remove their names and addresses from mailing lists that companies buy from data brokers.

For an annual fee of $35, customers can sign up for MailStop™ Shield and submit their information for removal from data broker lists. Catalog Choice communicates with each data broker to block the specified information. Once removed, marketers will not be able to purchase customers' information from the data brokers.  Furthermore, since personal information can often be reacquired by data brokers after the initial opt-out, Catalog Choice will resubmit customer opt-outs on a regular basis.  Additionally, as new data brokers emerge, Catalog Choice will add them to the service and automatically submit opt-out requests during users' year-long subscriptions.

"People want control over the direct mail and advertising they receive.  They don't realize that often when they buy something from a company, their name, address and purchase data is sold to data brokers, who then sell that information to other companies. Those companies push direct mail and other advertising generating unwanted mail and waste," said Chuck Teller, Chief Strategy Officer, TrustedID. "We designed MailStop™ Shield as a solution for this lapse in consumer control and privacy rights, and to help ease the burden of unwanted mail."

MailStop™ Shield is part of the premium line of MailStop™ solutions offered by Catalog Choice, including MailStop™ Envelopes and MailStop™ Mobile. For more information, visit www.catalogchoice.org.

About Catalog Choice and TrustedID
Founded in 2007 to provide consumers greater control over the marketing materials that enter their mailboxes, Catalog Choice, a TrustedID company, is the world's largest preference and privacy service. Since its launch, Catalog Choice has connected more than 1.5 million consumers with 8,200 direct marketing companies to process over 25 million suppression requests through free membership services, Catalog Choice for Communities partnerships and MailStop® solutions—including MailStop Mobile, MailStop Envelopes and MailStop Shield. By reducing unwanted mail and phone books, Catalog Choice's free and low-cost services reduce deforestation, greenhouse gases, solid waste and water consumption. Catalog Choice is part of TrustedID's suite of services designed to protect consumer privacy, credit and identities.  For more information, visit www.catalogchoice.org.

SOURCE Catalog Choice, a TrustedID company