{"id":8316,"date":"2023-10-03T14:02:34","date_gmt":"2023-10-03T18:02:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/joindeleteme.com\/blog\/?p=8316"},"modified":"2024-10-11T19:40:02","modified_gmt":"2024-10-11T23:40:02","slug":"how-to-stop-companies-from-selling-your-data","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/joindeleteme.com\/blog\/how-to-stop-companies-from-selling-your-data\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Stop Companies from Selling Your Data"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"wp-block-rank-math-toc-block uk-card-default uk-padding-small\" style=\"font-size:16px\" id=\"rank-math-toc\"><h4>Table of Contents<\/h4><nav><ul><li><a href=\"#how-to-stop-companies-from-selling-your-data\">How to Stop Companies from Selling Your Data<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#other-steps-you-can-take-to-stop-companies-from-selling-your-data\">Other Steps You Can Take to Stop Companies from Selling Your Data<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>If you want to know how to stop companies from selling your data, you\u2019ve come to the right place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Although not every company you interact with or do business with will sell your data, some will. Depending on where your information ends up, this can result in more targeted ads and scams and increase your likelihood of becoming a victim of identity theft. It can also raise your cybersecurity risks, like clicking on malware in a targeted phishing email.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This guide will show you how to regain control of your online privacy and stop companies from selling your data.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"how-to-stop-companies-from-selling-your-data\">How to Stop Companies from Selling Your Data<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>If you are concerned about companies or apps selling your data, follow this guide to keep your information protected and out of the hands of marketers and other third parties, including hackers and scammers.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"opt-out-of-data-brokers\">Opt out of data brokers<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Data brokers are the primary culprits when it comes to trading in your personal information.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Data brokers are companies that collect your personal information from various online sources (like social media and public records), combine it into a single profile, and then sell it to more or less anyone with a credit card.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It\u2019s a good business model. The data brokerage industry is estimated to be worth around <a href=\"https:\/\/www.latimes.com\/business\/story\/2019-11-05\/column-data-brokers\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">$200 billion per year<\/a>. But your data as an individual isn\u2019t expensive. Data broker profiles can go for as little as $1. Some are offered for free.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A typical data broker profile can include sensitive information such as:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Your full name.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Aliases.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Home address.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Phone number.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Email address.&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Education history.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Employment.&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Family details.&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Social media accounts.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>\u2026and more!&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Here\u2019s an example of a data broker profile:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/lh3.googleusercontent.com\/4ty3jF9wDq3xQqblROZjM8pymL_uEnXYq54L-lG58e6Pugukh18HHHtuMtMIi99A5Quap50L4JcEkS2eRNmiqJ0IaLfoxIB4kAGQe5L7MUsyPVSF0LaHNtMACqwmKG9MoW4TvZGtU1azIrf6rNHjuXY\" alt=\"Example of a data broker profile\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>There is no limit to who data brokers might sell your data to. This includes marketers looking to run targeted ads, financial institutions assessing credit risks, and other data brokers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Not all information data brokers have about you will be correct, but that is no reason to rejoice. In the past, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ftc.gov\/news-events\/news\/press-releases\/2014\/04\/two-data-brokers-settle-ftc-charges-they-sold-consumer-data-without-complying-protections-required\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">fined two data brokers<\/a> for providing employers with data that suggested employees were potentially sex offenders.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Good to know: <\/strong>Once \u201cbig\u201d data brokers like Acxiom, Spokeo, Epsilon, Experian, and Equifax acquire your information, there is no telling what sources will get their hands on your personal details.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But you&#8217;re not entirely powerless. Many data brokers offer opt-out mechanisms that allow individuals to remove their information from these sites\u2019 databases.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Something to note is that the opt-out process varies from one broker to the next. For step-by-step instructions on opting out from some of the biggest data brokers on the market today, follow <a href=\"https:\/\/joindeleteme.com\/blog\/opt-out-guides\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">our free opt-out guides<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Popular guides include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>How to <a href=\"https:\/\/joindeleteme.com\/blog\/how-to-remove-yourself-from-whitepages-standard\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">remove yourself from Whitepages<\/a>.&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>How to <a href=\"https:\/\/joindeleteme.com\/blog\/how-to-remove-yourself-from-spokeo\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">remove yourself from Spokeo<\/a>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>How to <a href=\"https:\/\/joindeleteme.com\/blog\/how-to-remove-yourself-from-beenverified\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">remove yourself from BeenVerified<\/a>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>How to <a href=\"https:\/\/joindeleteme.com\/blog\/how-to-remove-yourself-from-peoplefinders\/\">re<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/joindeleteme.com\/blog\/how-to-remove-yourself-from-peoplefinders\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">move yourself from Peo<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/joindeleteme.com\/blog\/how-to-remove-yourself-from-peoplefinders\/\">pleFinder<\/a>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>How to <a href=\"https:\/\/joindeleteme.com\/blog\/how-to-remove-yourself-from-radaris\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">remove yourself from Radaris<\/a>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>How to <a href=\"https:\/\/joindeleteme.com\/blog\/how-to-remove-yourself-from-people-background-check\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">remove yourself from People Background Check<\/a>.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>How to <a href=\"https:\/\/joindeleteme.com\/blog\/how-to-remove-yourself-from-truthfinder\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">remove yourself from TruthFinder<\/a>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>How to <a href=\"https:\/\/joindeleteme.com\/blog\/how-to-remove-yourself-from-mylife\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">remove yourself from MyLife<\/a>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>How to <a href=\"https:\/\/joindeleteme.com\/blog\/how-to-remove-yourself-from-intelius\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">remove yourself from Intelius<\/a>.&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>How to <a href=\"https:\/\/joindeleteme.com\/blog\/how-to-remove-yourself-from-fast-people-search\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">remove yourself from Fast People Search<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>How to <a href=\"https:\/\/joindeleteme.com\/blog\/how-to-remove-yourself-arrests-org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">remove yourself from Arrests.org<\/a>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>How to <a href=\"https:\/\/joindeleteme.com\/blog\/how-to-remove-yourself-from-checkpeople-com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">remove yourself from CheckPeople.com<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>How to <a href=\"https:\/\/joindeleteme.com\/blog\/how-to-remove-yourself-from-instant-checkmate\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">remove yourself from Instant Checkmate<\/a>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>You won\u2019t be able to just opt out once. Data brokers relist people\u2019s data when they collect more of it.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For this reason, you will need to opt out of data brokers regularly. If you\u2019d rather not have to opt out of data brokers manually, you can subscribe to a data broker removal service such as <a href=\"https:\/\/joindeleteme.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">DeleteMe<\/a>. Read <a href=\"https:\/\/joindeleteme.com\/reviews\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">reviews of DeleteMe service here<\/a>.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"read-the-privacy-policy\">Read the privacy policy<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The best way to determine if a company sells your data is to check its privacy policy.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A privacy policy is a legal document that tells you how a company collects, uses, manages, and discloses your data. It\u2019s a requirement for all companies to publish a public privacy policy for consumers to access.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Good to know: <\/strong>Just because a company has a public privacy policy does not mean it respects your data or won\u2019t share it with third parties. Yet that\u2019s something that up to <a href=\"https:\/\/knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu\/article\/data-shared-sold-whats-done\/#:~:text=Up%20to%2073,and%20is%20updating.\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">73% of American adults<\/a> believe.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In an ideal world, everyone would take the time to read a company\u2019s privacy policy before interacting with it\/signing up for an account\/using its services. In reality, the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pewresearch.org\/internet\/2019\/11\/15\/americans-attitudes-and-experiences-with-privacy-policies-and-laws\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">vast majority<\/a> of people never read the privacy policy.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Most people are just not bothered. But it\u2019s also true that privacy policies are \u201can incomprehensible disaster\u201d &#8211; a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/interactive\/2019\/06\/12\/opinion\/facebook-google-privacy-policies.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">conclusion The New York Times reached<\/a> after reading 150 privacy policies.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>One solution is to use <a href=\"https:\/\/tosdr.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Terms of Service; Didn\u2019t Read<\/a>, a community project that analyzes and grades major internet services and companies\u2019 privacy policies.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For example, Google gets a Grade E because they do heavy tracking. In fact, they can collect data about you and store it even if you don\u2019t interact with their services. In the past, they\u2019ve also faced backlash over data breaches.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/lh3.googleusercontent.com\/wIDPtSgdFXc8cbxSbmmGjz4CtmGCzXjmpuDiqkCbwCeYJDfX0rEP6PY45TQOUO-1JhTv-mWZSwGDYDr898Z0FfZggKvtH_3WfUnWBg59jc4uKC21wLzHnbrC86a5bvoMyjOtoCdeCLKTR1Yk2dwCO2o\" alt=\"Google rating on Terms of Service; Didn't Read community project\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Meanwhile, DuckDuckGo gets a Grade A. They do not store your data or allow online tracking.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/lh5.googleusercontent.com\/qFR6Gs4TTYuhde6OHvx909IPuJJfQRxKYWnxJHWEhOIOD2IwSmcaxdb5QVAbOxPNwSUHEnK6OjeG4VIXHmvg-OPiXYY3Y0pwR9Jt7viCwNhtCn_Ukpul7nIN7RSXC-mLZrgNrBxt9EQcIiHqk89tyjc\" alt=\"DuckDuckGo rating on Terms of Service; Didn't Read community project\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Google is well-known for its user data collection and tracking. On the other hand, DuckDuckGo was created to give users back their privacy. These privacy grades reflect that.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Good to know: <\/strong>Other companies that get poor privacy grades include <a href=\"https:\/\/tosdr.org\/en\/service\/158\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Apple Services<\/a> (D), <a href=\"https:\/\/tosdr.org\/en\/service\/190\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Amazon <\/a>(E), <a href=\"https:\/\/tosdr.org\/en\/service\/244\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Microsoft Services<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/tosdr.org\/en\/service\/193\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">LinkedIn<\/a> (E), and the vast majority of social networks.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>With Terms of Service; Didn\u2019t Read, you no longer have an excuse for not knowing what a company\u2019s privacy policy says. You can quickly see what grade it gets before using it.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"take-advantage-of-privacy-laws\">Take advantage of privacy laws<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Depending on where you live, various privacy laws might give you the right to ask companies to delete your data or prevent them from selling it to third parties.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Although there isn\u2019t a federal privacy law in place in the US (i.e., a GDPR-equivalent), the following states have comprehensive privacy laws:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>California:<\/strong> California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), as amended by the California Privacy Rights Act (CPRA).&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Colorado: <\/strong>Colorado Privacy Act.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Connecticut: <\/strong>Connecticut Personal Data Privacy and Online Monitoring Act&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Delaware: <\/strong>Delaware Personal Data Privacy Act<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Indiana:<\/strong> Indiana Consumer Data Protection Act<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Iowa:<\/strong> Iowa Consumer Data Protection Act<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Montana: <\/strong>Montana Consumer Data Privacy Act<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Oregon:<\/strong> Oregon Consumer Privacy Act<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Tennessee: <\/strong>Tennessee Information Protection Act<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Texas:<\/strong> Texas Data Privacy and Security Act<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Utah: <\/strong>Utah Consumer Privacy Act<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Virginia: <\/strong>Virginia Consumer Data Protection Act&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Note that some of the laws are yet to go into effect. For example, in Indiana, the Indiana Data Consumer Protection Act won\u2019t go into effect until the 1st of January, 2026.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Tip: <\/strong>You can track US state privacy laws via the International Association of Privacy Professionals (IAPP) <a href=\"https:\/\/iapp.org\/resources\/article\/us-state-privacy-legislation-tracker\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">legislation tracker<\/a>.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Read our how-to guide to learn how to ask companies to remove your personal information from their systems.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You can also look for a company\u2019s \u201cDo not sell my personal information\u201d notice and link on their website.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"other-steps-you-can-take-to-stop-companies-from-selling-your-data\">Other Steps You Can Take to Stop Companies from Selling Your Data<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The best way to stop companies from selling your data is not to give it to them in the first place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>To do that, you need to be more mindful of your online activity. Don\u2019t overshare on social media or other places online, use a VPN or a privacy-focused search engine that does not collect information about you, and take the time to remove any personal data you\u2019ve shared online to date.&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>If you want to know how to stop companies from selling your data, you\u2019ve come to the right place. Although not every company you interact with or do business with will sell your data, some will. Depending on where your information ends up, this can result in more targeted ads and scams and increase your [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":8317,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[23,26,27],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8316","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-data-privacy","category-privacy-tips","category-staying-private-online"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/joindeleteme.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8316","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\/14"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/joindeleteme.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8316"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/joindeleteme.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8316\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/joindeleteme.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8317"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/joindeleteme.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8316"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/joindeleteme.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8316"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/joindeleteme.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8316"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}