I subscribed two years ago to a service which requests my name and address be removed from people finder and data broker sites.
I’ve received unsolicited advertisements for two similar services within the last few months. The new services are from different sources, one is a VPN company and the other is a credit card company.
Clearly, after the initial proof-of-business-model time, other companies decided this is a viable business. And they created their own versions.
I’ve seen many articles and guides discussing whether a person should be on the bleeding edge of technology, a first adopter, or something else. Usually, it comes down to your personality type. The earlier I adopt new technologies, the greater the chance I’ll find something useful. And the greater the risk I’ll find something which isn’t viable. The service I used had been around for a while before I signed up. At the same time, I’m the only person I know who uses that type of service.
It’s a nice service and I’m glad it’s available. That it’s now being copied reassures me that it will be available for a while.
I looked for something to reference if anyone reading this wanted to know more about adopter types. The best I found is “Diffusion of Innovations Theory” from November 2021 on Investopedia. It has the longest list of creator credits I’ve yet seen: author, reviewer, and fact checker are Clay Halton, Robert C. Kelly, and Yarilet Perez respectively. The theory of diffusion of innovations was created in the 1960s.