Spokeo, an online data broker, is accused of peddling inaccurate information and violating consumer protection laws in a complaint sent to the Federal Trade Commission on Wednesday.

The Center for Democracy and Technology, which filed the complaint, alleges Spokeo purports to provide information about individuals’ credit ratings and other financial data, but fails to disclose the source of the data or allow consumers an opportunity to dispute and correct false information.

The site also does not let consumers know who has sought access to their information or inform users, such as employers, that federal law requires them to notify a job applicant if they have reached an adverse determination about an applicant based on information they may have obtained from the site.

The CDT notes in its complaint (.pdf) that much of the information provided in Spokeo profiles is inaccurate, a point verified by Threat Level in searches… Read the rest