Nowadays, corporations thrive by offering their products to millions of people, and that number includes you. Your information is out there on the internet, and it is being bought by companies to make you part of their marketing campaigns.
This is partly due to data brokers, which are companies that specialise in collecting, analysing and trading sensitive information for a profit.
In this article, we will discuss which information is collected and what measures can you take in order to retrieve your data and keep it private.
What Kind of Data Is Collected?
Data brokers obtain sensitive information from a wealth of offline and online sources. Whenever users of the Internet use a search engine, visit a website or fill out a virtual quiz, they leave an electronic trail that can be collected. Public sources such as birth certificates, court records, or census data can be used as well.
By using such information sources, data brokers can acquire the following details:
- Name
- Physical address
- E-mail address
- Phone number
- Gender
- Date of birth
- Marital status
- Education level
- Profession
- Consumer habits
- Interests and hobbies
In addition to the aforementioned, data brokers may know details regarding your health, political view and any criminal history.
Individually, these details may not be valuable. However, data brokers collect them and use them to build individual profiles, for example: “wellness enthusiasts”, “new parents” or “young liberals”, which are then sold to marketing, risk mitigation and insurance companies. As a result, a person may receive intrusive targeted advertising or may have a loan application denied according to the information provided by the broker.
How Can You Dodge Data Brokers?
Avoiding data brokers is challenging. However, there are several measures that can help you safeguard your digital privacy.
It is recommended to avoid posting any type of private information on social media, which could be used by data brokers or cybercriminals to target you. Customising social media privacy settings is also crucial. Ideally, none but friends and family should be able to view your posts and photos.
Do not participate in online quizzes or enroll in loyalty programmes as these typically collect sensitive data. If possible, keep the number of online accounts to a minimum and avoid downloading risky or untrustworthy apps.
For an extra layer of security, browse from a private browser or use a Virtual Private Network (VPN). VPNs enhance users’ online privacy by hiding their IP addresses and encrypting their data.
Incogni has a step-by-step guide on how to remove your data from the Internet to ensure privacy.
How to Remove Yourself From Data Brokers
It is possible to opt out from data brokers by contacting them individually and requesting to have your details deleted from their databases. Some brokers do provide opt-out forms for this specific purpose. This is, however, a time-consuming process. Alternatively, automated data removal services can take care of this process on your behalf by using GDPR, CCPA, and other relevant privacy laws.
This and the preventive measures mentioned above can help you regain control of your data and digital privacy.
