Bloggies

Privacy in the Digital Age: Data Tracking and Data Brokers

By: Dylan Sheji

It’s a bit of an understatement to say that the Internet changed everything, because it most certainly did. Almost all of humanity’s combined knowledge can be found on the Internet. Friends and family members that live thousands of miles away from each other can be brought together with a single click. There are billions of websites are out there that Internet users browse daily that have a wide range of utility. But as you browse the Internet, have you noticed that the ads you see on websites are starting to follow you? And that they relate to previous Internet searches or websites you’ve visited? These targeted ads are consequences of data tracking, the analysis of Internet user behavior on websites in order to identify buying intentions or interests. The blog posts I write will discuss data tracking, the companies tracking data, how Internet data is tracked, and methods we consumers can use to push back against the collection of our data. This blog post will discuss the concept of data tracking, the companies that track consumer data, and methods of data tracking.

As I said above, data tracking is the analysis of our Internet behavior in order to target consistently annoying personalized ads at us. Data tracking monitors your Internet activity similar to how your credit report tracks you with regards to your financial history. The companies that collect this information are called data brokers. Data brokers take the information they gather and sell it to other companies, namely advertising and marketing companies, in order to directly appeal and advertise to specific groups of Internet users. This is the reason why ads seem to follow us; companies are getting your Internet data in real time and directly advertising to you.

Who are these companies that are tracking our data? Some are foreign to a majority of consumers while others are names we see every day. For example, Facebook and Twitter, repositories of much of our personal data, are some of the top data brokers. And for good reason: we willingly publish so much information about ourselves on these public platforms, and as their privacy statements make clear, what we share is readily available to the rest of the world, including other data brokers and advertising companies. Facebook further developed it’s utility to advertisers in 2014, when it bought Atlas, an ad server, from Microsoft. Atlas allows marketers to measure consumer data and target consumers across all digital sites, not just limited Facebook, and even across every type of device. Other data broker companies are relatively unknown to the average consumer, for example the largest data broker, Axciom, which collects on average 1,500 pieces of information on more than 200 million Americans. Another such company is eBureau, a company that sells Internet profiles to online marketers complete with a real-time scoring system for about 220 million Americans, so that marketers can sell you exactly what you need when you need it.

Now that you know who is tracking our data and why, how do these sites collect information from their users in the first place? The main method of tracking is through “cookies,” small bits of text that are downloaded to one’s browser as one uses the web. These text files contain small strings of numbers that can be used to identify individual computers. Cookies can come the website the user is visiting, called first-party cookies, or from some other website, called third party cookies. First party cookies used by websites are typically not used for advertising, but to analyze website traffic and figure out who is visiting the site and why in order to increase traffic. Third party cookies are more insidious, and can come from any of the companies I listed above without consumer approval or awareness. Most websites have a variety of third party cookies hidden within them. Facebook and Twitter widgets that one sees on many websites also contain these third party cookies. Cookies lack any personal identifiers and aggregate a user’s tracking data from multiple sites to infer interests. This “aggregated not personal” concept is the reason why these tactics are legal; they are anonymous data bits used for marketing purposes and not to track your credit or finances, which is heavily regulated by the government.

At this point all of this data tracking sounds a little too Big Brother, and though there can be positive benefits to receiving personalized ads for items you may actually really need, the easy dissemination of our data is nonetheless frightening. Fear not consumers, in my next blog post I will go over various methods to prevent data brokers from analyzing your Internet data.

Privacy in the Digital Age: Data Tracking and Data Brokers

By: Dylan Sheji

It’s a bit of an understatement to say that the Internet changed everything, because it most certainly did. Almost all of humanity’s combined knowledge can be found on the Internet. Friends and family members that live thousands of miles away from each other can be brought together with a single click. There are billions of websites are out there that Internet users browse daily that have a wide range of utility. But as you browse the Internet, have you noticed that the ads you see on websites are starting to follow you? And that they relate to previous Internet searches or websites you’ve visited? These targeted ads are consequences of data tracking, the analysis of Internet user behavior on websites in order to identify buying intentions or interests. The blog posts I write will discuss data tracking, the companies tracking data, how Internet data is tracked, and methods we consumers can use to push back against the collection of our data. This blog post will discuss the concept of data tracking, the companies that track consumer data, and methods of data tracking.

As I said above, data tracking is the analysis of our Internet behavior in order to target consistently annoying personalized ads at us. Data tracking monitors your Internet activity similar to how your credit report tracks you with regards to your financial history. The companies that collect this information are called data brokers. Data brokers take the information they gather and sell it to other companies, namely advertising and marketing companies, in order to directly appeal and advertise to specific groups of Internet users. This is the reason why ads seem to follow us; companies are getting your Internet data in real time and directly advertising to you.

Who are these companies that are tracking our data? Some are foreign to a majority of consumers while others are names we see every day. For example, Facebook and Twitter, repositories of much of our personal data, are some of the top data brokers. And for good reason: we willingly publish so much information about ourselves on these public platforms, and as their privacy statements make clear, what we share is readily available to the rest of the world, including other data brokers and advertising companies. Facebook further developed it’s utility to advertisers in 2014, when it bought Atlas, an ad server, from Microsoft. Atlas allows marketers to measure consumer data and target consumers across all digital sites, not just limited Facebook, and even across every type of device. Other data broker companies are relatively unknown to the average consumer, for example the largest data broker, Axciom, which collects on average 1,500 pieces of information on more than 200 million Americans. Another such company is eBureau, a company that sells Internet profiles to online marketers complete with a real-time scoring system for about 220 million Americans, so that marketers can sell you exactly what you need when you need it.

Now that you know who is tracking our data and why, how do these sites collect information from their users in the first place? The main method of tracking is through “cookies,” small bits of text that are downloaded to one’s browser as one uses the web. These text files contain small strings of numbers that can be used to identify individual computers. Cookies can come the website the user is visiting, called first-party cookies, or from some other website, called third party cookies. First party cookies used by websites are typically not used for advertising, but to analyze website traffic and figure out who is visiting the site and why in order to increase traffic. Third party cookies are more insidious, and can come from any of the companies I listed above without consumer approval or awareness. Most websites have a variety of third party cookies hidden within them. Facebook and Twitter widgets that one sees on many websites also contain these third party cookies. Cookies lack any personal identifiers and aggregate a user’s tracking data from multiple sites to infer interests. This “aggregated not personal” concept is the reason why these tactics are legal; they are anonymous data bits used for marketing purposes and not to track your credit or finances, which is heavily regulated by the government.

At this point all of this data tracking sounds a little too Big Brother, and though there can be positive benefits to receiving personalized ads for items you may actually really need, the easy dissemination of our data is nonetheless frightening. Fear not consumers, in my next blog post I will go over various methods to prevent data brokers from analyzing your Internet data.

Taking Back Our Data: Cutting Down on Data Tracking

By: Dylan Sheji 

In my last blog post, I told you about how data tracking and data brokers operate, and how they are gaining access to your Internet data. Now that you know who is looking at your data and how they are getting it, this blog post will discuss several methods to limit the amount of your data available online for data brokers. These methods range from simple Internet maintenance to downloading third party apps and extensions that inform you what companies are tracking the sites we visit and provide options for stopping this tracking.

The easiest is to delete your browser’s cookies and data every time you finish browsing. To do so, go to your browser’s preferences and go to the “Privacy” section. In this section select either “clear browsing data” or “remove all website data” to remove cookies. Deleting cookies breaks the link between the user and the cookie identifier assigned to the computer. Yet this doesn’t stop the tracking because, upon the next browse, the server will assume a new person has visited the site and re-assign a cookie value. And some cookies can get around deletion entirely. Flash cookies, a newer type of cookie, allows for the “re-spawning” of cookies, which allows companies to reinstate deleted cookies. Still, deleting your cookies and browser data is a helpful method to cut down on tracking and to free up data on your computer.

Browsers also have options to opt out of tracking on the browser. These options are still located in the Preferences > Privacy tabs of the browser. However opting out has limits, and opting out of one company’s data mining doesn’t prevent another company from mining your data. On Google Chrome, you can have Chrome send a “Do Not Track” request with your browsing traffic. On Safari, under “Privacy” options choose to block cookies and other website data from third parties and advertisers and also select “Ask Websites Not to Track Me.” However, as Chrome’s pop up states after selecting “Do Not Track,” a request is sent while browsing. This doesn’t guarantee that tracking will stop, just that a request is sent. Chrome’s “Do Not Track” pop up even states “many websites will still collect your browsing data.” Again despite their limited effectiveness these are the best methods to reduce data collection without using third party programs.

Third party programs are the most effective methods of reducing data tracking. These programs will let you know who is tracking your data and give you options to stop the tracking. The two most effective programs that I found are Ghostery and Disconnect. Ghostery is an extension that allows users to decide which tracking companies to trust and which ones to block, giving users more control over what companies gets their information. When you click on the Ghostery widget on your browser, it will tell you which companies are tracking the site you are on and allow you to shut them off. The only real downside to Ghostery is that users must manually select the trackers they want to block. Because there are hundreds and hundreds of trackers consumers most likely do not know which ones to block. Ghostery compliments this by providing details about the various trackers on each site, so consumers can inform themselves about which tracking companies are present before shutting them off.

Disconnect is similar to Ghostery but acts in an opposite way, automatically shutting down third party trackers that collect and retain data while allowing first party trackers to operate. Disconnect groups trackers into four categories: Advertising, Analytics, Social, and Content. The Content section is not automatically blocked because this could affect what content the webpage you visit shows, but these trackers can also be turned off. By blocking these trackers these apps allow for greater consumer data management and increase browser performance by removing said trackers.

Data tracking has become a profitable and stealthy marketing system that takes advantage of user data to advertise to consumers. With the methods listed above, you the consumer can start to take back control of your private information.

Credit Repair Series (3 of 3): Credit Repair Agencies

By: CameronPassmore 

In Part 2 of our series, we covered how to identify and correct inaccurate information on credit reports. In Part 3, we will discuss the businesses that offer these services professionally: credit repair agencies.

Overview and Concerns
A “credit services organization” (or agency) is defined under Colorado law as, “any person, including a nonprofit organization exempt from taxation under section 501 (c) (3) of the federal “Internal Revenue Code of 1986″, who, with respect to the extension of credit by others, represents that such person can or will, in return for the payment of money or other valuable consideration by the buyer, improve or attempt to improve a buyer’s credit record, history, or rating.” CRS § 12-14.5-103(2). It should be noted that attorneys acting in their normal capacity are excepted from this definition.

Not only has the State of Colorado taken the time to define this occupation legally, but an entire series of laws (known as the Colorado Credit Services Organization Act, CRS § 12-14.5-101, et seq.) has been written with an eye to protect consumers. The state legislature has summarized their concerns, “[c]ertain advertising and business practices of some credit services organizations have worked a financial hardship upon the people of this state, often those who are of limited economic means and inexperienced in credit matters. Credit services organizations have significant impact upon the economy and well-being of this state and its people.” CRS § 12-14.5-102(1)(b).

The savvy consumer should be aware that bad actors are present within the field of credit repair. At a minimum, remember that nobody can promise results. Other things to look out for include: payment up-front, offers such as “guarantee plans,” agencies that sell advice, etc. Most of the time when a credit report contains an inaccuracy, a savvy consumer will be able to address the issue themselves, provided they are willing to see the process through to its end.

Complex Matters
This series has been aimed at educating consumers on how to obtain their credit report and how to challenge inaccurate credit report information. A great deal of the time, a credit repair agency will not be able to offer you anything you cannot get for yourself. That said, every credit situation is different, and complex issues can arise regarding liens, taxes, and collection actions. If the credit repair task ahead of you is complex, credit repair agencies do have the benefit of repetition, and a reputable agency is one possible way to resolve complex issues.

Selecting a credit repair agency, should you decide you need one, is beyond the scope of this series. However, at minimum, savvy consumers should use the usual due diligence before selecting anyone to help them with any financial issue. A partial list of research tools appears below:

Google

(you can search business reviews in the Google Local section of your Google+ account)

Better Business Bureau

Do your homework before contacting an agency: the last thing your credit horror story needs is a sequel. In the end, remember that when it comes to credit repair you will always be your primary advocate. Stay credit vigilant, and good luck.