The signs of your data having been collected include personalized ads, unsolicited marketing calls, newsletters you haven’t subscribed to, and SPAM emails. Learning how brokers fetch your data is the first step to protecting yourself.
Search engines
Every time you look up a website, the search engine stores your search history. Google, in particular, is infamous for gathering and selling data. This strategy allows companies to personalize ads to your specific tastes and interests. However, opting for a private search engine like DuckDuckGo will significantly reduce the amount of data collected, as it doesn’t track your search history.
Browser cookies
Cookies are small text files that store data about your browsing habits when you visit a website. They have a sub-category called third-party cookies, and as their name suggests, they appear on websites other than their own. When you notice targeted ads cropping up everywhere, it means data brokers have followed your browsing history through these small files. One way of making your data less accessible is to only accept necessary cookies when visiting a site. This process can be aided by a privacy-oriented secure browser that helps you manage cookies more effectively, especially when used in a private window. Another option is to sign up for Incogni, a service that contacts data brokers and demands the removal of your information from their databases.
Free mobile apps
They say there’s no such thing as a free lunch, and that’s certainly the case when it comes to free apps. Simply put, you don’t pay with your money, you pay with your data. This often goes unnoticed, as all it takes is to give an app permission to access your photos, location, and files. These free apps collect pieces of data at a time, pinpointing GPS locations, following shopping habits, and collecting contact details. When combined with data brokers, this information forms a complete image of a person and their habits. A viable protective measure is to check what information is shared on the apps’ pages in Google Play or the App store and disable unnecessary app permissions on your phone.
Internet Service Providers
According to U.S. law, ISPs can legally collect your data and sell it to data brokers. From your search history to how many hours you game online, ISPs know everything. However, switching on a VPN can bypass this issue as its job is to encrypt all online activity. Just make sure to avoid free VPNs, as they operate the same way as free mobile apps.
Social media scraping
Data brokers can easily copy your public profile information like name, location, relationship status, phone number, and the like by using scraping bots. As the name suggests, they can only collect scraps of information. However, when the brokers piece these details together, it takes no time to learn who a person is. One way to reduce the chance of being profiled is to share as little as possible on social media. Alternatively, Incogni can remind data collectors of privacy laws like GDPR and the consequences of not following them in an attempt to delete your personal information.
Credit card companies
Like any organization providing a service or product, credit card companies also see your data as an asset and sell it to data brokers. Personal details like purchase history are highly valuable to these brokers as they can be sold to online advertisers, who will then use them to create tailored ads. Although there’s no danger of credit card companies giving out your bank details, they are sharing information that allows data brokers to analyze your shopping history, and therefore profile you. Unfortunately, it’s impossible not to use your credit card nowadays. Still, it’s possible to safeguard your shopping data by using secure online payment apps, such as Privacy, PayPal, or Venmo.
Retailers
Both ecommerce and brick-and-mortar stores keep your data after you’ve made a purchase. Loyalty programs require your information, which can be sold. With this kind of data in their hands, brokers can then further develop what they know about you. While you can’t give up buying items altogether, you can stick to a handful of retailers to minimize spreading your data. Moreover, avoid giving out your email address when shopping in person.
Public records
The government keeps records of people from the moment they’re born, starting with their birth date. This data is openly available on online databases, hence the name ‘public’ records. Unfortunately, even if a data broker has once stored and deleted this information, there’s nothing to stop them from retrieving it again. However, Incogni works continuously and frequently checks whether the data broker has the data again. If it does, the company takes the necessary steps to have it re-removed.
Fortunately, the situation isn’t as dire as it sounds. Prevention is the best protection against data brokers snatching your data. Consider mixing best practices, such as using a secure browser together with a VPN. Alternatively, you can decide to keep your Incogni subscription after the first risk-free 30 days, so the company can act as your privacy guardian angel.
Richárd Z.
Saskia H.
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