You’d be amazed by what data brokers know about you: Internet Scambusters #1,120
Every possible detail about you is valuable to data brokers – and they know how to get it and where to sell it.
Deleting the information they hold about you isn’t easy – at least for now – and there’s no guarantee you’ll wipe out all your personal details that they’re trying to sell.
But in this week’s issue, we’ll explain where they get their information from and the steps you can take to delete their data and restore your privacy.
Let's get started…
Stop Data Brokers From Harvesting and Selling Your Info
Hundreds of US firms are busy gathering and selling information about you right now. They’re called data brokers and, in the main, what they’re doing is perfectly legal.
Privacy has gone out the window. And you’d probably be shocked by how much these companies know about you, your family, and your finances. Worst of all, their information can easily be sold to scammers as well as to firms for legitimate marketing purposes.
You may think there’s nothing you can do about this. Even staying away from the internet doesn’t guarantee your privacy because of the way data brokers gather snippets of information about you, which they then use powerful software to compile a detailed profile.
But there are lots of ways to delete much of the info they have about you and to make sure it stays that way.
Where Do Data Brokers Get Information About Me?
Data harvesting is a continuous process that can include searching public records, monitoring online activity (especially social media posts), and buying stolen data on the Dark Web, often from data breaches.
The most likely result is that your profile could include your name, address, likes and dislikes, purchase decisions, family members, your address, education, legal records, phone numbers, employment, hobbies, and perhaps photos.
In the criminal realm, they collect your credit card numbers, sign-on and password details, your Social Security number and your financial account details. And they sell them for a pittance compared with the financial harm they can cause you.
How To Wipe Your Data
Deleting your data is not easy, at least for now and, unless you know of every data broker in the nation, it’s unlikely you can totally “erase” yourself.
But some of the actions you can consider in order to protect yourself include:
- Contact the brokers and tell them. First, you have to know who they are. You'll find a comprehensive and searchable list of registered brokers, along with contact links, from the Privacy Rights Clearinghouse.
- Use free tools. Without a list, you need to scan broker databases to discover who's holding your information. We've been unable to identify any totally free tools for doing this, but many paid-for providers (see below) offer a free initial scan or free tier.
- Paid-for tools. With so much of our personal privacy now under threat, a whole segment of apps will not only scan databases but also continuously monitor them. Some may send opt-out requests to brokers but there's still a lot of legwork for you to do. To explore your options, search for "data broker deletion" or a similar term.
- Data removal services. You can also pay some specialist companies to do all the hard work for you but they're quite expensive. Around $200 a year is not uncommon. But if your time is worth more than your money, they may be worth considering. You might also think about using anti-track software that checks and removes cookies that some firms use to track your activities and site visits. Some internet security software providers offer anti-tracking as an add-on.
- Protect yourself. Use a personal "virtual private network" (VPN) to disguise yourself and location. (We wrote about VPNs in Issue #813: Do You Need a VPN (Virtual Private Network) for Your Internet Safety?) Also examine the privacy tools that are available both on your browser and security software.
- Be vigilant. Nearly every website you interact with, and piece of software you install, stores your information and, in some cases, sells it to brokers. Be sure to read their terms and conditions and privacy statements to find out what they're up to. Also check the privacy settings on programs and apps that you use and set them to the highest setting you're comfortable with.
But Does Data Wiping Really Work?
As we said, it’s probably impossible to securely remove all the records every data broker holds about you. A 2021 report by the non-profit Privacy Rights Clearinghouse identified at least 540 data brokers operating in the US – that’s a lot to track down and contact.
And, since the whole industry is said to be worth up to $200 billion a year (Source: PrivacyBee.com), new data broker firms are popping up all the time.
But things might be about to change.
Some states have already enacted legislation to control the activities of brokers, for example, by forcing them to register and abide by certain rules.
But unless you’re paying – quite a lot – for a monitoring service to do it all, you still have to do most of the legwork by contacting each broker in order to opt out.
However, one state – California – has introduced a Delete Act, which will enable residents to just file a single opt-out request that all brokers, at least the legal ones, must comply with.
But, still, you can’t delete information about you that can be found in public records.
In the final analysis, vigilance and common sense are your key weapons against the harvesting of your data – for example, by using caution about what you post online and who you give information about yourself to.
This Week’s Alerts
Dropbox breach: You may have read an announcement earlier this month from cloud storage company Dropbox of a breach affecting users of its document-signing service. The breach collected details such as email addresses, usernames, phone numbers, and certain passwords. The company says it’s contacting affected users but it’s always a good idea to change your password anyway. Learn more: A Recent Security Incident Involving Dropbox Sign.
Elder targets: Scams targeting older folk – in this case those over the age of 60 – jumped 11% last year, costing this section of the population at least $3.4 billion, according to a new report from the FBI. The actual number may be much higher, says the agency. Download the full report: 2023 IC3 Elder Fraud Annual Report.
That's it for today -- we hope you enjoy your week!