A New Jersey Court Takes Down Data Broker Radaris in Landmark Privacy Case
In a significant victory for individuals seeking to protect their personal information, a New Jersey court has ordered the transfer of several domains owned by data broker Radaris.com to the plaintiffs in a lawsuit alleging the company’s violation of state privacy law. This development marks a major setback for Radaris, which has long been accused of ignoring requests to remove sensitive information from its vast online empire.
At the center of this case is Daniel’s Law, a New Jersey statute that allows state law enforcement officials and their families to have their information removed from commercial data brokers. The law also imposes hefty fines on companies that fail to comply with removal requests. Radaris was sued by Atlas Data Privacy Corp in February 2024 for allegedly violating this law by publishing the personal details of state law enforcement officials.
The case against Radaris has been marked by a pattern of stonewalling and prevarication by the company’s attorneys, who have repeatedly changed their story about the ownership and management structure of the data broker. In an attempt to avoid accountability, Radaris claimed that its true owners were Ukrainians living in Ukraine, despite evidence showing that the actual founders are Russian-born brothers Igor and Dmitry Lubarsky.
The Lubarsky brothers have built a complex web of people-search companies and dating services using a fictitious CEO’s name, “Gary Norden.” This ruse was exposed by KrebsOnSecurity, which published a deep dive into Radaris’ operations in 2024. When confronted with the evidence, Radaris’ attorney Val Gurvits admitted that his clients had indeed created the fake CEO persona.
The court’s decision to transfer the domains is seen as a major victory for Atlas Data Privacy Corp and its president Matt Adkisson, who has been pursuing data brokers alleged to be violating Daniel’s Law. “Radaris turned to a tried-and-true playbook: delaying in court until the last possible minute, and playing shell games with Radaris’s true country of origin and the individuals listed as owners and operators of these sites,” Adkisson said.
The transfer of the domains is a significant blow to Radaris’ operations, which rely on its online presence to collect and sell sensitive information. It remains to be seen whether this development will prompt other data brokers to take steps to comply with state privacy laws. For individuals seeking to protect their personal information, however, this case serves as a reminder that they have the right to demand that their details be removed from commercial databases.
So what can you do to protect your online identity? First and foremost, regularly review the information available about you on people-search services and data brokers. If you find any inaccuracies or sensitive details, request that they be removed in accordance with state privacy laws. Keep track of any correspondence with data brokers, including dates and times, in case you need to escalate your complaint. And if a company is stonewalling or refusing to comply with your requests, don’t hesitate to seek the assistance of a consumer protection agency or attorney specializing in online identity theft.
Source: Krebs on Security — 2026-09-16