Your Identity Up For Sale

They have been around for decades, information brokers that collect information about you, anything from whether you’re pregnant, to the kind of lotion you use or even what breakfast cereal you eat. But how do they collect that information and what do they do with it?

What we don’t realize is some of these companies are going over the web and systematically collecting our Facebook profile, our Twitter profile, something we have on YouTube, a website we have, and connecting it to our names, our addresses, our date of birth and more.

Lois Beckett reports on the consumer data industry for Probublica. She said data brokers are very interested in getting as much information about a person as possible before they sell it. Companies are interested in where we shop, where we like to eat and so much more, and the more they collect the more they can figure out how to advertise with us.

“Do you want to sell romance novels, or if you have information that women who like romance novels might also like these other products then buying a list like this could be very useful,” said Beckett.

Here’s a look at what we know—and what we don’t—about the consumer data industry, from Propublica’s website.

How much do these companies know about individual people?

They start with the basics, like names, addresses and contact information, and add on demographics, like age, race, occupation and ‘education level,’ according to consumer data firm Acxiom’s overview of its various categories.

But that’s just the beginning: The companies collect lists of people experiencing ‘life-event triggers’ like getting married, buying a home, sending a kid to college—or even getting divorced.

The companies also collect data about your hobbies and many of the purchases you make. Want to buy a list of people who read romance novels? Epsilon can sell you that, as well as a list of people who donate to international aid charities.

Where are they getting all this info?

The stores where you shop sell it to them.

Datalogix, for instance, which collects information from store loyalty cards, says it has information on more than $1 trillion in consumer spending “across 1400+ leading brands.” It doesn’t say which ones.

Data companies usually refuse to say exactly what companies sell them information, citing competitive reasons. And retailers also don’t make it easy for you to find out whether they’re selling your information.

Where else do data brokers get information about me?

Government records and other publicly available information, including some sources that may surprise you. Your state Department of Motor Vehicles, for instance, may sell personal information— like your name, address, and the type of vehicles you own—to data companies, although only for certain permitted purposes, including identify verification.

Public voting records, which include information about your party registration and how often you vote, can also be bought and sold for commercial purposes in some states.

Are there limits to the kinds of data these companies can buy and sell?

Yes, certain kinds of sensitive data are protected—but much of your information can be bought and sold without any input from you.

Federal law protects the confidentiality of your medical records and your conversations with your doctor. There are also strict rules regarding the sale of information used to determine your credit-worthiness, or your eligibility for employment, insurance and housing. For instance, consumers have the right to view and correct their own credit reports, and potential employers have to ask for your consent before they buy a credit report about you.

Other than certain kinds of protected data—including medical records and data used for credit reports—consumers have no legal right to control or even monitor how information about them is bought and sold.

So they don’t sell information about my health?

Actually, they do.

Data companies can capture information about your “interests” in certain health conditions based on what you buy—or what you search for online. Datalogix has lists of people classified as “allergy sufferers” and “dieters.”Acxiom sells data on whether an individual has an “online search propensity” for a certain “ailment or prescription.”

Consumer data is also beginning to be used to evaluate whether you’re making healthy choices.

Do companies collect information about my social media profiles and what I do online?

Yes.

As was highlighted last year, some data companies record—and then resell—all kinds of information you post online, including your screen names, website addresses, interests, hometown and professional history, and how many friends or followers you have.

Acxiom said it collects information about which social media sites individual people use, and “whether they are a heavy or a light user,” but that they do not collect information about “individual postings” or your “lists of friends.”

Is there a way to find out exactly what these data companies know about me?

Not really—although that’s beginning to change.

You have the right to review and correct your credit report. But with marketing data, there’s often no way to know exactly what information is attached to your name—or whether it’s accurate.

How do I know when someone has purchased data about me?

Most of the time, you don’t.

When you’re checking out at a store and a cashier asks you for your Zip code, the store isn’t just getting that single piece of information. Acxiom and other data companies offer services that allow stores to use your Zip code and the name on your credit card to pinpoint your home address— without asking you for it directly.
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Is there any way to stop the companies from collecting and sharing information about me? 

Sometimes—but it requires a whole lot of work.

Some data brokers offer consumers the chance to “opt out” of being included in their databases, or at least from receiving advertising enabled by that company. Rapleaf, for instance, has a “Permanent opt-out” that “deletes information associated with your email address from the Rapleaf database.”

But to actually opt-out effectively, you need to know about all the different data brokers and where to find their opt-outs. Most consumers, of course, don’t have that information.

How many people do these companies have information on?

Basically everyone in the U.S. and many beyond it. Acxiom, recently profiled by the New York Times, says it has information on 500 million people worldwide, including “nearly every U.S. consumer.”

After the 9/11 attacks, CNN reported, Acxiom was able to locate 11 of the 19 hijackers in its database.

How is all of this data actually used?

Mostly to sell you stuff. Companies want to buy lists of people who might be interested in what they’re selling—and also want to learn more about their current customers.

They also sell their information for other purposes, including identity verification, fraud prevention and background checks.