Understanding the Hidden World of Data Brokers and How to Reclaim Your Personal Information
It’s simply a process of things for the digital age, wherein any personal data has real value. The first time you visit a website, shop for something on the internet, or even when checking your social media feeds; data is amassed instantaneously. But what are they? and who is doing this, or how you can take some control of your information back? In this post, we will discuss internet data brokers (often malicious actors), what they are collecting, and practical methods to reclaim ownership of your information.
Who Are Data Brokers?
Data brokers are businesses that gather and offer details on individuals, often without their understanding or consent. They operate in a vast and mostly unregulated sector, collecting personal information from several sources including social media sites, shopping history public records, or data purchased from other brokers. The data was then sold to businesses, advertisers, political campaigns sometimes even other brokers.
Data brokers have one objective: compile a more complete profile of the person. This is can be as simple provide your name, address, and email or it could include so much more. The records brokers can compile include your browsing, purchases, and social media; whether you’re interested in health info or religion (or more scary for some people: politics). Thus it is possible to be profiled just because of claiming EU data trade regulations? They also have the potential to gather sensitive information (such as financial data or personal identification details), which makes the privacy concern much worse.
What Kind of Data Do They Have?
Brokers collect a lot of information about the market…and it’s pretty comprehensive. Some of this might sound innocent, like your phone number or zip code but these are just data points Reeves believes could come together to give a fuller picture about you. Types of Broking Data Collected:
1. Contact Information: This includes, their Name, Email address (semi-filled in), Phone number, and Mailing Address along with a variety of demographic information. Typically, this de-identified data is used for direct marketing and likely serves as a way to build up mailing lists.
2. Social Media Activity: Brokers can collect and data mine everything you post, like, or comment on. Companies want to know what you are interested in and how your behavior is online.
3. Shopping Habits: When you buy something online, that data will be shared with other retailers. This allows data brokers to follow your likes and predict future purchases.
4. Location Data: Third parties get to see that data most of the time if you allow apps to access your location. So that then the brokers can track you physically and predict your patterns.
5. Public Records: They also get data from publicly available sources such as property records, court records, and professional licenses.
6. Browsing History: However, every single site you visit can be tracked (as long as the sites have cookies or tracking pixels deployed). We use this to show you personalized ads or content recommendations.
7. Financial Information: Brokers, in some instances are able to collect your credit score, debt statement, or details about how you earn and spend money too.
How Is This Data Used?
They provide your data to a broad spectrum of clients: advertisers, companies and health insurers are some obvious ones; even political organizations or well-organized crime rings may be interested. For example, advertisers may apply this data to generate well-designed ads that fit your interests and behavior. Wonder who makes it so ads for items you’d searched out pop up on Facebook or in your email?
That data can be used by insurance companies to profile risk or for a partisan political campaign to buy the files and target voters according to their politics. Although using data in ways that help marketing might not seem like a big deal, the issue could be overmuch when we are talking about sensitive information such as financial and health-related stuff being used for reasons you had no idea of.
Why Should You Care?
When you hear of data collection and selling, it may not seem like a serious problem at all. I have at times succumbed to the argument that there is no harm in having advertisers know what you want them to advertise and your favorite websites. But there are also larger privacy and security implications.
A concern would be the amount of control we have over our data as individuals. But the reality is, that most people do not even know what information is being collected about them, to begin with – let alone how they will use this said data. Brokers also sit on data that might be partial or incorrect and, as a result of third parties consuming it; this can lead to misconceptions. Some implications of an inaccurate credit profile could be not being able to get a loan or buy insurance.
Worse yet, if they are unable to get it back and your identity is stolen or fraud happens. The more records or the fuller picture brokers have of you, the increased exposure there is to these kinds of breaches.
How to Reclaim Your Data
On the positive side, although data brokering is intimidating there are ways you can once again get a handle on your personal information. How to begin, in steps:
1. Find Out Which Brokers Have Your Data: Hundreds of data brokers across the world The biggest being Acxiom, Experian, and LexisNexis. To get going, note down the places you think would have your info. You can do your search online by looking for lists of brokers or using those online tools that exist and help you keep track on this information.
2. Request Your Data: While many data brokers must give you a copy of the information they have about you, by law Certain countries and states (such as California) have recently begun passing legislation to codify this requirement. Get in touch with these brokers and get a full history of what data they have on you.
3. Opt-Out of Data Collection: After you have the data, most agents will give an opt-out although undoubtedly it is disguised in small print or difficult-to-find forms. To opt out of data collection and sale, remember to click that link and be persistent.
4. Use Privacy Tools: Tools and services focusing on privacy that can block data collection from happening. These may range from a browser extension that blocks tracking cookies, to a VPN that hides your online activity. Employ an encrypted email service and be aware of the settings you give to apps or websites.
5. Monitor Your Digital Footprint: Update social media platforms and app settings Review the privacy of your posts or information shared on these platforms to lessen data transported. Use privacy-friendly search engines that do not track your activity, like DuckDuckGo.
Conclusion
The data economy is booming, with personal info being the most highly-priced commodity. Data brokers work in the shadows, hoovering up information about you that isn’t obvious. But, then again you always can take control back. Knowing which data brokers have your information, and requesting the data they store on you, can help make things more private again and let you manage a tiny subsection of it. Stay Conscious, Get Involved, and Encourage Digital Privacy-Literacy.
