Avoid data runners to sell their information online

Your personal data is a very valuable product. Companies often treat it as a resource to extract and negotiate. In practice, this means that everything you do on the Internet, what you are looking for, what you click, where you buy, feed a vast industry. Many people feel they have little control over this.

In fact, a Pew research survey found that approximately six out of ten Americans say that it is not possible to go through daily life without collecting data on them. We can use “free” services, but we generally pay in data. As explained by the Federal Trade Commission of the United States, “the things we do throughout our day give companies access to information about our habits, tastes and activities. Some could use it to deliver ads addressed to you … others could sell or share that information.”

Let us examine how your data is collected in everyday life, who is buying and selling them, what happens to them later and, most importantly, what can you do to protect yourself.

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How are your data collected?

Almost everything we do online or even offline can generate data. Here are some common sources:

1) Social Network Platforms: Social networks such as Facebook, Instagram or Twitter collect a wide range of data from their publications, I like, location records, connections and more. Social network companies harvest confidential data on activities, interests, personal characteristics and purchasing habits of people. In summary, the casual exchange in these sites adds to a detailed profile about you.

2) Purchasing and loyalty programs online: Every time you buy online or use a loyalty card from the store, data on your purchases are recorded. Retailers track what you buy, when and how (with coupon or card). Even off -line purchases using a rewards card in the databases. Over time, this creates a detailed purchasing history linked to your identity.

3) Digital traces of the browser: This technique collects information bits on your browser and device (such as which accessories, screen size, time zone, etc.) to create a unique “fingerprint”. That fingerprint can identify it uniquely in the sites, even without cookies.

4) Mobile and SDK Application Identifiers: On telephones, each application often informs use data to its developer or advertising partners. For example, iOS and Android assign unique advertising identification to your device, and applications can read that identification and record your activity. Many applications also include third -party SDK (software development kits) of analysis analysis or advertising companies that silently collect data on their behavior in the application and send it to the profile.

5) Cookies and follow -up pixels: A cookie is a small file that your browser keeps a website. Allow the site to recognize your device later. A follow -up pixel (also called Beacon Web) is a small and invisible image integrated on a website or email that informs when you see it. Boards, cookies and pixels allow companies to “remember” their visits, record what pages and create a registration of their navigation even after leaving a place.

What are data corridors and how to sell their information

Data corridors are companies whose full business is buying, adding and reluctanting personal information. They collect data about you from many places and group them in profiles. This industry is massive (estimated at around $ 200 billion per year) with thousands of companies worldwide. Renowned corridors include companies such as Experian, Acxiom, Epsilon and many less known “people search” sites.

The use of sources such as public records, social networks, data infractions and data corridors assemble extensive expedites in people. They collect ordinary details such as names, addresses, birth dates, telephone numbers, email addresses, as well as sensitive traits: gender, marital status, level of education, occupation, income range, hobbies and interests. Corridors can even buy data on their health (such as the drugs you buy) or political views collected from public records of voters or social media activity.

After building these profiles, the runners sell them or license to anyone who will pay. Typical customers include sellers and advertisers, insurers and lenders, search services and data of people, employers and background verifiers, and more.

What happens to your data after it is sold?

Once your data is in the hands of others, it is used to profile and segment people so that we can affect what we see and the opportunities we receive. The profile simply means grouping people for common features or habits, such as “young owners of urban pets” or “people who will probably buy a new car this year.” These profiles are used to serve advertisements and offers.

Directed advertising may feel creepy or manipulative. For example, you can notice ads for products that you only briefly mentioned in a private message or web search, because their data were shared with dozens of advertisers behind the scene. Every time you charge a page with advertisements, your data profile is transmitted to companies through automated ads auctions, and offer to show advertisements.

Beyond advertising, there may be more serious consequences, such as identity theft and harassment. The broader profiles mean more tempting objectives for criminals. People search websites, which obtain data from the runners, can show their address, telephone number, names of family members and even their social security number. This information can be used to steal your identity or harass it.

How can you recover control

There are many ways to take control of their personal data, several of which are listed in the section below, but the most effective is to consider a data disposal service.

While no service promises to eliminate all its Internet data, having an elimination service is excellent if you want to constantly monitor and automate the process of eliminating your information from hundreds of sites continuously for a longer period of time.

A personal data removal service can help you eliminate all this personal internet information. It has a very clean interface and scan 195 websites for your information and will eliminate it and keep it eliminated.

See my best selections to obtain data removal services and get a free scan to find out if your personal information is now available on the web visiting Cyberguy.com/delete.

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4 ways of additional ways to protect your data

You can take measures to claim some control over your data, and you don’t have to be a technology expert to do so. Here are some practical tips and resources:

1) Review the privacy settings: Take a few minutes to explore the privacy and safety configuration in the services you use. For example, limit who can see their publications on social networks, disable unnecessary location to share the location on your phone and consider deactivating advertisement customization in accounts such as Google and Facebook. Most browsers allow you to block third -party cookies or delete follow -up data. The FTC suggests comparing the privacy notices of different sites and applications and choosing those that allow you to choose not to share it when possible.

2) Use privacy friendly tools: Install extensions or supplements of the browser that block ads and trackers. You can change to a more private search engine (such as Duckduckgo or Brave) that does not register your queries. Consider using the “incognito” or the private mode of a browser when you do not want to save your history. Even small habits, such as the session outside the accounts when they are not in use or that use a password administrator, make it less traceable.

3) Be careful with personal data: Think twice before sharing additional details. Do not complete online polls or questionnaires that request personal or financial information unless it trusts the source. Create separate email addresses for your records (so that marketing emails do not go to your main input tray). Just download applications from official stores and verify application permissions.

4) Opt the data corridor lists: Many data corridors offer ways to choose not to participate or eliminate their information, although it can be a tedious process. For example, there are sites such as the Privacy Rights Compensation Store or the Blancas Pepes Exclusion Page that list popular corridors and their exclusion procedures. The FTC consumer guide “your guide to protect your online privacy” includes tips on how to choose specific ads and eliminate people search databases. (Keep in mind that you may have to repeat this every few months).

Kurt key takeway

You may not be able to completely escape the data economy, but you can limit its impact on your life. By using privacy tools, taking into account what he shares and demanding transparency, makes it difficult for companies to treat their personal information as a free for all. Each small step, whether adjusting the configuration, clicking on “Opt” or simply stop before pressing “Send” in a form, helps you recover control. Ultimately, pressing for the responsibility of companies and legislators is also part of the solution. After all, privacy is a fundamental right that deserves strong safeguards for all.

How comfortable is you knowing that your personal data can be used to aim for advertisements? Get us knowing in Cyberguy.com/contact.

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