Keenly

Important Notice: Keenly has ceased operations as of March 23, 2024. The following information is for archival purposes and describes the service's features when it was active.

Keenly was a comprehensive digital security service designed to protect individuals from the growing threats of identity theft, financial fraud, and privacy invasion in the modern digital landscape. Leveraging artificial intelligence, Keenly offered a multi-layered defense system that went beyond traditional credit monitoring. Its core mission was to empower users by giving them control over their personal data and proactively shielding them from malicious actors. In a world where data breaches are common and, as noted by Javelin Strategy, identity fraud is increasingly sophisticated, Keenly provided a one-stop solution for digital peace of mind.

The service was built on the premise that true security involves not just monitoring for threats but actively reducing one's attack surface. By tackling issues like data exposure on broker sites and incessant scam calls, Keenly aimed to stop fraud at its source. It utilized AI to analyze threat patterns, identify emerging scams, and automate the complex process of reclaiming one's digital privacy.

How to use Keenly

When the service was active, a typical user journey would have been as follows:

1. Sign-Up and Onboarding: Users would create an account on the Keenly website or through its mobile app. The initial setup would involve providing necessary personal information for monitoring purposes under secure protocols.
2. Activate Protection Features: In the user dashboard, you could activate core features. For instance, enabling 'ScamGuard' would initiate the call and text filtering service. Activating 'Data Broker Removal' would trigger Keenly's system to start scanning for and removing your profile from dozens of data broker sites.
3. Continuous Monitoring: Once set up, Keenly worked 24/7 in the background. Its AI algorithms would continuously scan the dark web, public records, and data broker lists for any exposure of your personal information.
4. Receive Real-Time Alerts: If a potential threat was detected—such as your email appearing in a new data breach, a new account opened in your name, or a suspicious inquiry on your credit report—Keenly would send an immediate alert via email or push notification.
5. Review and Manage: Users could log in to their dashboard at any time to see a summary of their protection status, review the actions taken on their behalf (like data removals), and access educational resources from the Keenly blog.

Core Features of Keenly

• AI-Powered Scam Blocking (ScamGuard): This feature intelligently filtered and blocked known and suspected scam calls and text messages, protecting users from phishing, vishing, and social engineering attacks.
• Automated Data Broker Removal: Keenly automatically found personal data profiles on over 35 data broker websites and managed the entire opt-out process, significantly reducing the user's public digital footprint and the risk of data misuse.
• Comprehensive Identity Monitoring: The service monitored the dark web, chat rooms, and illicit forums for stolen credentials, including email addresses, passwords, and Social Security Numbers, alerting users if their information was compromised.
• Credit & Financial Monitoring: It provided monitoring of credit reports from major bureaus, alerting users to critical changes like new credit inquiries, new accounts, or changes in address, helping to prevent financial identity theft.
• Privacy Protection: By removing personal information from public-facing databases, Keenly helped protect users from doxxing, harassment, and unwanted marketing.

Use Cases for Keenly

Keenly was ideal for anyone concerned about their digital privacy and financial security. Key use cases included:

• Proactive Individuals: For users who wanted to take control of their personal data and minimize their online exposure before becoming a victim.
• Data Breach Victims: Individuals who had been notified that their data was part of a major breach (like the United Healthcare or Kaiser Permanente hacks mentioned in its blog) could use Keenly to monitor for fraudulent use of their stolen information.
• Busy Professionals: The service's automated nature was perfect for people who didn't have the time to manually track their credit or send dozens of data removal requests.
• Families and Seniors: Protecting family members, especially those more vulnerable to scams like seniors, from financial fraud and predatory calls.

Advantages of Keenly

Keenly's primary advantage was its proactive and holistic approach. Instead of just reporting a problem after it occurred, it actively worked to prevent it. Key benefits included:

• All-in-One Solution: It combined identity monitoring, credit monitoring, scam blocking, and data removal into a single, easy-to-use platform.
• AI-Driven Defense: The use of AI allowed it to adapt to new and evolving threats more effectively than static security solutions.
• Saves Time and Effort: It automated the laborious and ongoing task of protecting one's digital identity, particularly the data broker removal process.
• Enhanced Privacy: By scrubbing personal data from the web, it offered a level of privacy protection that many competitors did not.

Pricing and Plans

Specific pricing information for Keenly is no longer available as the service has been discontinued. However, based on industry standards for similar identity protection services, Keenly likely offered a subscription-based model. This would have probably included:

• Monthly Subscription: A recurring monthly fee for continuous monitoring and protection.
• Annual Subscription: A discounted yearly fee for a long-term commitment.
• Tiered Plans: It's possible there were different tiers, such as a basic plan for individual identity monitoring and a premium or family plan that included more extensive features or coverage for multiple family members.