GoKawiilWe manage huge chunks of our life online these days, which means there is a mass of personal data entrusted to a range of different companies. You probably already use Apple privacy tools like App Tracking Transparency, Hide My Email, and iCloud Private Relay, but none of that helps with data that is already out there publicly exposed on the internet.
Even things as seemingly innocuous as our hobbies and interests can be valuable data when it comes to those who want to try to sell us things or – worse – to scam us.
The problem of data brokers
Personal data doesn’t just exist in isolation. Data brokers are companies who make a business out of trying to acquire as much data as possible about each person they find on the internet, collate it in a way that provides a detailed picture of our lives – and then make it available for sale.
That information is purchased by companies who want to spam you. It gives them a solid idea of your interests and therefore the type of products you are likely to buy, as well as things like brand preferences. This type of information is the reason that spam phone calls are on the rise.
In the worst of cases, the data can be used by scammers who can use information like who you bank with, where you shop, and more in order to impersonate companies you trust.
Removing personal data
You do have a legal right to have most of your personal data deleted from the internet. Unfortunately, there’s a huge gap between theory and practice. First of all, you have to track down all of the personal data for you and your family members currently available online. Next, you have to identify the companies collating and selling that information. Finally, you have to issue takedown requests in the correct format.
Data brokers deliberately make this process as convoluted and difficult as possible. They hide the links you need to use, give you complicated forms that must be filled in, and generally do everything they can to deter you from protecting your own data.
Even jumping through all those hoops isn’t enough because data brokers are free to collect new information about you in the future. The only way you can fully protect yourself is to run through this process over and over again on a regular basis.
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