{"id":1915,"date":"2021-02-24T21:41:16","date_gmt":"2021-02-25T02:41:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/joindeleteme.com\/?p=1915"},"modified":"2025-01-31T17:34:57","modified_gmt":"2025-01-31T22:34:57","slug":"all-the-ways-data-brokers-get-your-personal-information","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/joindeleteme.com\/blog\/all-the-ways-data-brokers-get-your-personal-information\/","title":{"rendered":"All the Ways Data Brokers Get Your Personal Information"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"wp-block-rank-math-toc-block uk-card-default uk-padding\" style=\"font-size:16px\" id=\"rank-math-toc\"><h4>Table of Contents<\/h4><nav><ul><li><a href=\"#1-mobile-apps\">1. Mobile Apps\u00a0\ufffc<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#2-harvesting-or-scraping-social-media-profiles\">2. Harvesting or Scraping Social Media Profiles<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#3-credit-card-transactions\">3. Credit Card Transactions\u00a0<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#4-behavioral-tracking-aka-browser-cookies\">4. Behavioral Tracking (Aka Browser Cookies)<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#5-public-records\">5. Public Records\u00a0<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#wait-theres-more\">Wait \u2014 There\u2019s More<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p><b>Unhappy about the personal data that shows up when you Google your name? Here\u2019s a guide to understanding where this information comes from and how you can improve your online privacy.<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.fastcompany.com\/90310803\/here-are-the-data-brokers-quietly-buying-and-selling-your-personal-information\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Data brokers are companies<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> that make money collecting and trading personal data belonging to consumers they don\u2019t ever do direct business with. Data brokers sell your personal information to marketers, financial institutions, political consultants, employers and landlords doing background checks, and crucially, anyone else with money to spend. Unfortunately, this means that cybercriminals have easy access to information that can help facilitate cybercrimes like stalking, doxxing, and identity theft.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Here are a few key sources data brokers use to mine for people\u2019s personal information and how you can limit their activities.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"1-mobile-apps\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">1. Mobile Apps&nbsp;<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Remember the adage \u201cthere is no such thing as a free lunch\u201d? This is certainly true of all the apps we supposedly use for free on our mobile phones. Their hidden cost is your personal information. The apps make money by selling your data or by charging companies for advertisements that target you.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Every phone is given a unique ID number called \u201cmobile advertising identifier\u201d that is specific to the device you use. Each app has multiple third-party partners that get access to a little bit of your personal data along with this ID number.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For example, one app may give a data broker your exact location, another app may share your name and surname, and yet another app may reveal your phone number. Data brokers can collate this information to create a very clear picture of who you are, including your interests, family and friends, and even pets.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"the-solution\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Solution<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Audit app permissions. Don\u2019t give apps access to your location, contacts list, camera, photos, and mic.&nbsp;<\/span><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Always get your apps from the official app store on your phone. But even then, be sure to check the app\u2019s rating and user reviews.&nbsp;<\/span><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Before you download any messaging apps, make sure they have end-to-end encryption. Otherwise, you run the risk that your messages will be read by strangers.&nbsp;<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"2-harvesting-or-scraping-social-media-profiles\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">2. Harvesting or Scraping Social Media Profiles<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Data brokers use automated scraping bots to copy your public profile information, including your name, location, phone number, email address, photos, and more. They then connect this information with other data points they have on you.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Although scraping is against social media networks\u2019 terms of use, data brokers still do it. If they get caught, they sell the data they scraped to other data brokers and disappear before they are faced with legal action.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"the-solution-1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The solution<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Use <\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/abine.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Abine Blur masked email service<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> when signing up for a new social media network. Find out how masked emails work in this <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=nVAM__OH90o\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">1-min video<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Avoid sharing personally identifiable information (like your birth date, relationship status, and your workplace) and photos publicly. Better yet, make all your social media profiles private and never tag your specific location.<\/span><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Don\u2019t accept people you don\u2019t know in real life as friends on social media.&nbsp;<\/span><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Create strong, unique passwords for all your accounts. A password manager, such as the <\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/abine.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">one offered by Abine Blur<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, can help you keep track of all your login credentials.&nbsp;<\/span><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Stay away from social media networks with poor privacy policies and settings, such as <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.forbes.com\/sites\/barrycollins\/2021\/02\/10\/clubhouse-the-hot-new-social-network-has-big-privacy-problems\/?sh=38c30b9de4c3\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Clubhouse<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&nbsp;<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"3-credit-card-transactions\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">3. Credit Card Transactions&nbsp;<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Data brokers buy anonymized and aggregated credit card transaction information from credit card processing networks. According to <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.fastcompany.com\/90490923\/credit-card-companies-are-tracking-shoppers-like-never-before-inside-the-next-phase-of-surveillance-capitalism\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Fast Company<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, Mastercard made $4.1 billion in 2019 from this type of service.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You might be wondering: if transaction data is anonymized, how can data brokers link it back to you? It\u2019s really quite simple:<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Banks and credit card services use third-party companies for anonymization (or \u201ctokenization\u201d).&nbsp;<\/span><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">These third-party companies assign your credit card a randomly generated ID code (token).&nbsp;<\/span><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Tokens are not mathematically reversible with a decryption key. However, a combination of a few receipts and social media posts <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.science.org\/doi\/10.1126\/science.1256297\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">is usually enough<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> to connect your credit card transactions with other personal information.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ftc.gov\/system\/files\/documents\/reports\/data-brokers-call-transparency-accountability-report-federal-trade-commission-may-2014\/140527databrokerreport.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">a 2014 investigation<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ftc.gov\/system\/files\/documents\/reports\/data-brokers-call-transparency-accountability-report-federal-trade-commission-may-2014\/140527databrokerreport.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Federal Trade Commission<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> found that data brokers use credit and debit card transaction data to place consumers into various categories, like \u201cBible Lifestyle,\u201d \u201cPlus-size Apparel,\u201d and \u201cModest Wages.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"the-solution-2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The solution&nbsp;<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Use <\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/abine.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Abine Blur masked cards feature<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> to create a new burner credit card number for every purchase. With a masked card, the token for each of your purchases will be different, which means that data brokers won\u2019t be able to create a financial profile on you.&nbsp;<\/span><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">To take it a step further, use <\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/abine.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Abine Blur masked email service<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> when signing up to e-commerce sites.&nbsp;<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"4-behavioral-tracking-aka-browser-cookies\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">4. Behavioral Tracking (Aka Browser Cookies)<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Everywhere you go online, your behavior and activities are tracked via cookies. Cookies are small text files that identify your computer when you visit a particular website. While some cookies are useful (for example, they may record your login information and remember items in your shopping cart), others track your browsing history across the web.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Data brokers buy your personal information from third parties that observe your web browsing. In some cases, data brokers may also place cookies on consumers\u2019 browsers themselves and then give their clients the option to advertise to those consumers across the web. It\u2019s because of cookies that you keep seeing highly targeted ads everywhere you go on the internet.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"the-solution-3\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The solution<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Select the \u201cDo Not Track\u201d option on <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/support.google.com\/chrome\/answer\/2790761?co=GENIE.Platform%3DDesktop&amp;hl=en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Chrome<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/support.mozilla.org\/en-US\/kb\/how-do-i-turn-do-not-track-feature\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Firefox<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. Instead of \u201cDo Not Track,\u201d Safari offers <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.theverge.com\/2020\/3\/24\/21192830\/apple-safari-intelligent-tracking-privacy-full-third-party-cookie-blocking\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Intelligent Tracking Prevention<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> to stop cross-site tracking and third-party cookies.&nbsp;<\/span><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Use <\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/abine.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Abine Blur<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> to block tracking scripts and other tracking technologies.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"5-public-records\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">5. Public Records&nbsp;<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Data brokers collect most of their information from public records. Public records include things like voter registration information, census data, birth certificates, property records, vehicle registration records, marriage licenses, and divorce records.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Unfortunately, most public records are available to anyone who requests to see them. For this reason, data brokers are not technically breaking any laws when they scrape public records. That being said, some public records are confidential or have eligibility requirements. For example, under certain circumstances, you may be able to seal your divorce records.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"the-solution-4\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The solution<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Check your state laws on <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/nnedv.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Library_Safety_Net_ACP_Chart_April_2020.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">who qualifies for Confidentiality Programs (ACP)<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Visit the county clerk\u2019s office and ask what, if any, personal information can be removed, redacted (like your phone number and a part of Social Security Number), and changed (full name to initials). While you\u2019re there, ask which documents can contain your P.O. box instead of your home address.<\/span><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Check the Uniform Commercial Code (UCC) database to see if your Social Security Number is listed on the records for your property ownership and liens.<\/span><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Set up <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/alerts\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Google Alerts<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> for your name to get updates any time someone posts information about you online.&nbsp;<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"wait-theres-more\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Wait \u2014 There\u2019s More<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Sadly, these aren\u2019t the only sources data brokers harvest their data points from. Other sources include (but are not limited to) periodical subscriptions, loyalty card services, and online polls and surveys.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">While it\u2019s not possible to delete your online and offline footprint entirely, that doesn\u2019t mean that you should tolerate companies you\u2019ve never even heard of amassing huge amounts of data about you.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In addition to following the advice outlined above, you should also take the time to opt-out of all the major data brokers and people search sites out there. Check out our <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/joindeleteme.com\/blog\/opt-out-guides\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">step-by-step guide<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> on how to do that or <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/joindeleteme.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">subscribe to DeleteMe<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> to have a team of professionals do it for you.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Unhappy about the personal data that shows up when you Google your name? Here\u2019s a guide to understanding where this information comes from and how you can improve your online privacy. Data brokers are companies that make money collecting and trading personal data belonging to consumers they don\u2019t ever do direct business with. Data brokers [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":6307,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[38],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1915","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-learn-more-data-brokers"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/joindeleteme.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1915","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/joindeleteme.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/joindeleteme.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/joindeleteme.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/12"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/joindeleteme.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1915"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/joindeleteme.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1915\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/joindeleteme.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6307"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/joindeleteme.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1915"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/joindeleteme.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1915"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/joindeleteme.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1915"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}