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March 26, 2018, 02:42:08 PM |
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became a 250 billion USD per year business. The data brokerage industry grew by in the past
4 years and is expected to grow at the same rate during the next few years.
Data brokers operate inconspicuously behind a veil of secrecy and a good number are evidently
stealing personal data, packaging and reselling it as a commodity, to companies worldwide. By doing
so, data brokers are violating consumers’ data privacy and not even compensating consumers.
Consumers worldwide are becoming increasingly aware of these unethical practices and have begun
to actively protect their data privacy. This has prompted an ensuing arms race where, for example,
consumers blocking their web browsing cookies may be answered by the surreptitious gathering of IP
addresses, and so on. This is only one simple and innocuous example. Increasingly tech savvy users
and new privacy laws are making it harder for data brokers to access quality personal data. As a
result, data brokers may engage in much more sophisticated or veiled methods that can cross to line
into questionable practices.
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