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Startup Sells Stolen Personal Data Online for $50, Raising Alarms Over Privacy and Ethics

Startup sells stolen personal data for $50 via Infostealers platform, sparking privacy, legal, and ethical concerns over misuse of sensitive data.

 

A new controversy is brewing over a U.S.-based startup accused of making stolen personal data widely accessible—for as little as $50. Farnsworth Intelligence, founded by 23-year-old Aidan Raney, is openly marketing a product called “Infostealers,” which allows customers to search a massive database of sensitive information, including passwords, browser autofill data, and private account credentials. 

According to investigative reporting by 404 Media, this information isn’t simply scraped from public directories or legally collected sources. Instead, it appears to come directly from major data breaches—information illegally obtained from hacked websites and platforms. Users can buy access through the company’s online portal, Infostealers.info, raising serious questions about the legality and ethics of such transactions. 

While services like people-search websites have long existed, Farnsworth’s platform seems to go far beyond what’s commonly available. Some of the information for sale includes usernames, passwords, browser history, addresses saved in auto-fill fields, and more—data types typically leaked only after breaches. Their advanced offering, the Infostealer Data Platform, promises even deeper access. Although not available to everyone, it can be granted upon request for uses like journalism, cybersecurity, private investigations, or law enforcement. The company doesn’t appear to require a court order or warrant for access. 

Farnsworth Intelligence makes bold claims about its reach and capabilities. Its website boasts about human intelligence operations and even claims to have infiltrated a North Korean laptop farm via social engineering. It promotes use cases like “corporate due diligence,” “background checks,” and “asset searches,” without clearly explaining how it acquires its “trillions” of data points. The lack of transparency, coupled with the open sale of sensitive data, is alarming. 

Experts argue that while security researchers and cybersecurity firms often monitor breach data to help protect users, monetizing it so brazenly is a different matter entirely. As Cooper Quintin from the Electronic Frontier Foundation notes, “It would be illegal and unethical to sell stolen cell phones even if you didn’t steal them yourself, and I don’t see how this is any different.”  

Even more concerning is the potential for abuse. With no real verification or oversight, bad actors—including stalkers or authoritarian agencies—could exploit this platform to target individuals, especially those already at risk. The implications for personal safety, privacy rights, and digital ethics are profound. 

This development underscores how data breaches don’t just disappear—they become weapons for profit in the wrong hands.
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