In 2006, British mathematician Clive Humby referred to data as the “new oil” of the 21st century. In his view, data needed to be refined, processed, and transformed into something useful and, therefore, valuable. Nowadays, however, businesses see data as something inherently valuable that should be extracted, collected in mass, and, in certain cases, misused.
Data brokers are infamous for harvesting the personal information of hundreds of thousands—if not millions—of people across the world and building detailed profiles without their explicit consent.
So, what exactly are data brokers, what information do they collect, and how can you regain control over your data?
Who Are Data Brokers Exactly?
To understand who data brokers are and how they operate, it is crucial to know how the data economy works. Essentially, consumers disclose and share their information in order to access specific services and benefits. For example, to unlock the free trial of an online retailer, you may be asked to provide your full name, phone number, email address, and/or credit card details.
Now, data brokers aggregate that information into their databases, sometimes by purchasing it from other organizations. Some of the most common avenues for data sourcing include mobile apps, loyalty schemes, social media, and public records.
What Information Do Data Brokers Collect From You?
In addition to your name, phone number, email address, and credit card details, data brokers are interested in the following information:
- Date of birth
- Gender
- Marital status
- Social security number
- Occupation
- Buying habits
- Hobbies and personal interests
- Health status
- Criminal records
- Political views
This information is used to build individual profiles that will be later sold to other companies for various uses. Loan and financial companies may, for example, use the profiles supplied by data brokers to calculate an individual’s likelihood of default on a loan. On the other hand, marketing companies may create custom offers or tailored messages based on the provided data.
In short, having your personal information harvested and re-shared by data brokers makes you vulnerable to spam, manipulation, and financial discrimination. Yet, the risks don’t end there. Having your data on multiple databases increases the likelihood of falling victim to data leaks and cyberattacks.
Regaining Control Over Your Data By Opting Out
In the data economy, it’s challenging to avoid the spread and misuse of your personal data on the internet. Still, you can opt out of data-collecting sites.
A good way to start is by contacting data brokers individually and asking them to remove your information from their databases. This is, by no means, a straightforward process, and some data brokers may have unique and data removal complex policies.
Sites, such as Incogni offer detailed guidelines to facilitate the FastPeopleSearch opt out process and help you retrieve your data from People Search, Whitepages.com, Nuwber, and many other brokers.
Yet another option is subscribing to an automated data removal service to speed up the process.
To Conclude
Your personal information is highly valuable to data brokers. These companies or individuals scan the internet for valuable data or acquire them from service providers you previously subscribed to. To keep yourself protected, you should rethink data disclosure and regain control by opting out of data brokering sites.
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