Privacy

4382 readers

112 users here now

A community for Lemmy users interested in privacy

Rules:

Be civil
No spam posting
Keep posts on-topic
No trolling

founded 2 years ago

MODERATORS

iopq

How did they get my data? I uncovered the hidden web of networks behind telemarketers. (theconversation.com)

submitted 3 months ago by [email protected] to c/privacy

6 comments fedilink hide all child comments

top 6 comments

sorted by: hot top controversial new old

[–] RangerJosie 28 points 3 months ago (1 children)

Everyone sells your data. Yes literally everyone. Even the ones that promise they won't. (The mulligan is in the EULA you're forced to agree to)

You put your name and email into any website ever, then you're out there. On untold numbers of lists.

Ordered a pizza online? They got your number, name, email, and location. And it was sold before you ordered that pizza.

Ever bought a single item on Amazon? Same thing.

Insurance quote online? Sold to a data broker.

If you wanna sleep poorly for the next week? Take a deep dive into just how much of the economy runs on that data. Data with no protections. Freely traded on the open market. You can even buy your own data. Don't do it. It'll scare you to death. But you can do it.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 3 months ago (2 children)

Where can I go to buy my data, and how much will it cost me?

[–] [email protected] 8 points 3 months ago

Treefiddy.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 3 months ago

No one is buying you specifically though. It's basically all just data dumps.

It would have been nice if the author explained how the marketing companies knew when they got his data from. They could have just said any company to get him off the phone for all we know.

[–] dohpaz42 7 points 3 months ago

I’d be interested in learning more on how to trace my data, beyond asking the telemarketers where they got it.

[–] MrJ199414 1 points 3 months ago

So I get zero calls now. I spent a year not answering my phone (helps I work nights) but when I was able to answer I just sent it to my Google assistant every single time. They always hang up before it finishes the introduction. I haven't received a spam call in two and a half years now.