Internet Data Brokers

A piece on this topic was covered eight days ago in a news magazine, “60 Minutes,” that airs every Sunday evening on the U.S. TV network Columbia Broadcasting Service (CBS). I was so enthralled, negatively, of course, by the depth of operation of these data brokers that I decided to dig a little deeper into […]

A piece on this topic was covered eight days ago in a news magazine, “60 Minutes,” that airs every Sunday evening on the U.S. TV network Columbia Broadcasting Service (CBS). I was so enthralled, negatively, of course, by the depth of operation of these data brokers that I decided to dig a little deeper into their activities and write today’s articles on them.
Of particular concern are the volume and types of data collected on you. As an Internet user, you are a potential victim of data brokers, unless you just decide to ignore the threat on the grounds that your life isn’t that important or interesting to warrant fussing about those that are snooping on you. The data that brokers collect include your (physical) locations, your likes and dislikes, your religious affiliation, your sexual orientation, which could be a particularly touchy issue in the more developed (western) countries where the practice of homosexuality appears to be significant, your political affiliations, your medical history and condition, the clubs you frequent, where you shop for stuff, and who you go out with. In short, virtually every aspect of your life is recorded and aggressively marketed to any companies that are ready to pay for it.
The modus operandi of these data brokers isn’t rocket science. For the most part, when you download apps, you also download cookies along with them. Cookies are basically computer programs that are capable of carrying out (clandestine) system-level activities inside your computer, such as looking through the directories (folders) in your hard drives, creating and deleting files in your computer, and taking note of any software that you download into your computer (smartphone). They can also grab (and e-mail) your clickstream and keyboard inputs, thereby capturing all the commands you enter via clicking the mouse or typing characters on your keyboard. Of course, obtaining bits of information such as the websites you visit are mundane tasks for cookies.
The cookies enable a program (or app) developer to have a free access to your machine for as long as the cookies reside in it. Thus, the cookies basically monitor your activities on your smart phone (computer) and provide information such as where you go to on the web and in the physical realm, with a cross-mapping of your locations with the facilities in those locations. In this sense, smartphones have become mini-tracking devices.
There are also legal routes to valuable personal data. In a country like the U.S., where many types of vital personal data are in the public domain, data brokers are obviously having a ball at your expense. For example, criminal history, lien records, bankruptcy records, traffic violations – some of which may eventually turn into criminal offences if not settled, your home address, salary, and family members, if you are a state employee, etc., can be obtained from public records.
There are other sources of data. In the 20 January 2014 article in this column in Daily Trust, I told you that you were location-tracked. This exercise provides bits of information about you, such as: Where you go for your gym and jogging and how often you go, the neighborhood you live in, your general lifestyle categories, your age group, or the doctors you visit. Trackers can even tell whether or not you are a youth and can find the location of your office or home.
Ordinarily the data collected on you via phone-tracking does not include your biographical information or information about your family or social circle. This is an area where you actually help data brokers – when you log into social media sites such as Facebook via free Wi-Fi services at public places (restaurants, hotels, coffee shops, etc.). With this, brokers can collect your names, ages, gender, and other bits of information available in your Facebook, and combine them with data from other sources to form a dossier that is sold.
Many of the data brokers are members of Direct Marketing Association (DMA), which is considered to be one of the most powerful lobbying groups in Washington, D.C. Google and Facebook are members of DMA, two companies that collect a humongous amount of data on you. However, it does not seem that Google and Facebook sell your data.
Acxiom does sell your data on a massive scale, and the company is considered to be biggest processor of consumer data, with records on more than 200 million Americans. Statlistics, another data broker, can sell you lists on virtually any segment of business or our lives. Take 5 Solutions, also a data broker, says it has data on over 260 million households.
In terms of getting data brokers off your back, you are for the most part at their mercy. However, a free, Internet-downloadable-software product called “Disconnect” helps you to disconnect from brokers. The program “stops third parties and search engines from tracking the webpages you go to and searches you do.” With this program, you will literally see the scores of brokers that follow you as you access a website! Great help, but unfortunately there are way too many avenues that brokers can take to reach your vault of personal data and create dossier on you for sale!
The bottom line in this article is that data brokers are collecting and selling your personal data on a massive scale.