Don’t stay there online security is a fairly gutted issue for all of us, the issue of digital privacy is still a taboo for many users. While we know that Google monitors our online activity, we often pretend we don’t know ours personal informations circulate freely on the Internet. And that the data brokers are selling to the highest bidders. Given the situation, therefore, let’s try to understand what data brokers know about us, how they use it and, above all, how to prevent them from selling our personal information.
Data broker: who they are and what they do
“The data brokers will collect all the data they can find data the tools they have and the services you have used,” he says Dan DeMers, Cinchy platform CEO. This means that these figures can access any information of the user: date of birth, residential address, religion, shopping habits and much more. Once collected, they do nothing but sell them to companies third parties, which in turn use them to better market their products.
Despite the common goal – to sell information – data brokers fall into two categories: business to business e business to consumer. “Large B2B data brokers collect information from multiple sources, combine it, analyze it and sell it, mainly to marketers”, clarifies James Wilson, privacy and digital security expert. “B2C data brokers get data wherever they can. They often show some data for free and try to get paid, usually between $ 1 and $ 30, to see the full record. ” In both cases, the goal is to collect information and then resell it.
How do they collect user information?
It is important to specify which data brokers use legal means to access users’ personal information. First of all, they manage to steal a lot of data from cookies, which track practically every single one of our movements online. Beyond this, in many cases they manage to acquire information from companies in specific sectors, such as credit card companies. Or they can acquire useful data directly from social platforms like Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn.
“Gathering information is getting easier day by day with all those visually stunning free-to-play shopping offers and games. Free-to-play apps, or signing up for discounts / membership cards, require the delivery of a good amount of information – he says Andreas Grant, founder of Networks Hardware -. Any information we make public on our social media profile is also available. Every time we visit a website, our activities are monitored. And there is also public information, such as birth certificates and marriage licenses, that anyone can access. ” In short, collecting user information in a legal way is a very simple activity. Especially considering the large amount of sources available to data brokers.
Indeed, it will surprise you to know that private browsers or Google’s incognito mode will not save you from having your personal data end up in the hands of data brokers. “Google’s incognito mode is also known to have data leaks, so it’s hard to believe these are reliable options.” So he states James Milin-Ashmore, cyber security expert. Regardless of the mode of navigation used, brokers will collect “perhaps all the information available online that can help companies narrow down our preferences or enrich search websites”.
What happens to the information collected by the brokers?
If you are wondering how data brokers use users’ personal information, here is the answer. Simply the they sell to big companies, governments e advertising agencies. And considering the staggering amount of data produced every day, it’s no surprise that the revenue from data brokering is estimated between $ 200 and $ 400 billion annually. Indeed, this will help you to understand why you are bombarded with advertisements that respond exactly to your searches on Google. “If you are a company looking to reach out to expectant mothers, being able to find people based on their history, gender and age group will allow your company to spend every advertising dollar more wisely.”
But it should be noted that data brokers not only sell this information to advertising agencies, but also to governments. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, for example, bought location data from millions of phones to determine whether Americans followed the rules correctly during the pandemic. In short, the highest bidder will have access to your information. And this is a huge problem for user privacy and security. “The main problem with data brokers is the serious lack of transparency. Consumers have no control over who owns their data, how it is protected or with whom it is shared ”. Therefore, the fact that there are no regulations preventing the sale of user information puts their security at serious risk.
How to prevent companies from buying our personal data
Having clarified who the data brokers are and what they do, it is good to understand how to prevent them from selling our personal information to the highest bidder. First of all, it is fundamental remove their data from the sites of data brokers. “You must go to each site and request that your information be removed, deleted or deleted. And the process is different for each data broker. Some will honor your removal and never add you again. Others will add you again, since you have not been removed from the source but only from their database “. Therefore, you have three options: let it go and forget that your information is in the hands of the brokers. Remove them manually or use the service My Data Removalwhich every month checks that your data has really been deleted from the most dangerous databases.
Beyond this, there are a number of steps you can take to prevent your data from ending up in a broker’s database. “Check all the privacy settings on every App you use – says a security expert -. Few apps need access to your contacts, photos or location, for example, but many require it as standard. You can also restrict access to [solo] when you are using the App “. Also, it is always advisable use good passwords e two-factor authentication, especially on sites with financial information – although not all sites and apps allow it -. Indeed, you would do well to avoid using those words – or phrases – that appear in the list of the most common passwords.
Finally, you would do well to be careful what you share on social media. “Do you really want criminals to be able to see where you were at any given time? Or find out your mother’s maiden name or the name of your first pet? Take a look at the privacy settings and make sure they suit your needs ”. In short, be careful. And maybe you might be able to avoid falling victim to data brokers.