August 2024 - The Dangers Posed by Data Brokers

For anyone who values digital privacy, there may not be two words that stir up more frustration than data brokers.

Data brokers are businesses that aggregate personal information from various sources. They then in turn sell the information to anyone who wishes to buy it. While some states have enacted laws to combat data brokers, they are few and far between, and until a federal law is put in place, these organizations will continue to operate with impunity.

There are a countless number of data brokers in existence, and it may seem overwhelming to request to have information removed from all of them. However, it is still an exercise more people should undergo.

Information residing on data broker websites can be leveraged for a number of nefarious purposes. This blog post will explain some of the risks associated with data brokers selling personal information, which can range from mild annoyance to the worst case scenario imaginable.

The Risks Data Brokers Pose

Anyone could theoretically purchase information from a data broker website. Marketers may use data purchased from these companies to conduct targeted advertising campaigns, for example.

And there’s a good reason why they would want to. Data brokers collect personal information from a number of different sources across the internet. They could gather information from public records, scraping social media profiles, tracking online activity and even purchasing information on spending habits from retailers.

You could see where the appeal is for marketers. However, should bad actors obtain this data, it could leave anyone at serious risk.

Bad actors could learn about an individual’s financial status and health information without them knowing it. Cybercriminals could leverage enough personal information purchased from data brokers to conduct identity theft.

Or, they could create detailed profiles on individuals to send targeted scams they know have a better chance of succeeding based on the information at their disposal.

And the information doesn’t have to be purchased either. If a data broker has poor security in place, cybercriminals could simply breach the broker and steal the information outright.

And this could include names, addresses (both email and physical), employment history, financial history, phone numbers, education level and Social Security numbers.

It’s easy to see how this information could lead to a lot of problems. It could also lead to the worst outcome imaginable.

Amy Boyer was a young New Hampshire woman who was murdered by her stalker back in 1999.

Boyer’s stalker was able to track her by purchasing pieces of personal information from a data broker called Docusearch. The man bought Boyer’s Social Security number for $45, and found both her home address and the address of where she worked. After observing her actions, the man would ultimately kill Boyer in the parking lot of her place of employment.

This case highlights the dangers data brokers pose to people should their information fall into the wrong hands. And this case happened nearly 25 years ago. In that time the data broker industry has skyrocketed, as more data is collected and becomes more and more valuable.

It’s estimated that the data broker industry could reach $561 billion globally by 2029. With the absence of a federal law, it’s unfortunately up to the individual to take action to remove their information from these websites.

It’s well worth doing so.

Data Broker Requests Are Worth It, and Remember Good Cyber Hygiene

Data brokers often allow individuals to opt out of having their information listed on the site, and as highlighted above, it is well worth going through the process to do so.

It’s important to know that there are a lot of data broker websites out there. It’s why BlackCloak helps our clients by assisting with the opt out process. BlackCloak takes this task on because we know how important it is to remove information from these sites, and how arduous the process can be.

It’s also important to know that this is an ongoing process. Data broker websites continue to pop up, and even in cases where an opt out request is processed, there’s no guarantee that the person’s information will not reappear at a later date.

If you are concerned about data brokers collecting your information to begin with, there are steps you can take to limit your digital footprint.

Refrain from sharing too much information about yourselves on social media, and if a service doesn’t require personal information to complete a particular process, then leave those fields blank. Lock down your accounts to prevent unwanted eyes from spying on your data, and be sure to practice good cyber hygiene where you can. This can include actions such as accepting cookies on websites when necessary to limit tracking, and to consider downloading browser extensions to block trackers as well.

The battle against data brokers can be taxing, but there are steps you can take to remove the information from these sites, and to prevent them from gathering your information in the first place. By doing so, you may save yourself from a great deal of stress at a later date.