A data broker (also known as an information product company) is an organization that makes money by collecting your personal information, analyzing it, and licensing it out to be used by other companies for things like marketing purposes.
Data providers gather data from many different sources to create a profile of who you are. This profile includes things like your interests, hobbies, demographics, and even the products you use. Generally, data broker companies only deal with customers to collect information. A few of the top data brokerage companies are Epsilon, Acxiom, and Experian, but there are many data brokerages worldwide that make a hefty profit from aggregating and distributing consumers’ personal data.
Read more…
Source: McAfee
Related:
- Swedish PM Lofven drops two ministers over IT crisis
July 27, 2017
Sweden’s Prime Minister, Stefan Lofven, says his minority government will not resign despite a security crisis over the handling of sensitive public data. He said two ministers would leave their posts, rejecting calls for a snap election. Citing Brexit and security he said “I won’t put Sweden in political crisis.” Meanwhile, the main opposition bloc said a vote ...
- UniCredit Bank Hacked, 400,000 Accounts Exposed
July 26, 2017
UniCredit has just announced in an official statement that its servers were breached by hackers, with details of approximately 400,000 clients said to be exposed. The bank explained that hackers managed to get inside its systems in Italy twice in the last 12 months. The first hack took place in September and October 2016, while the ...
- Sweden data leak ‘a disaster’, says PM
July 24, 2017
The Swedish government has admitted to a huge data leak made by one of its own departments during an IT outsourcing procedure in 2015. Sweden’s prime minister said it was “a disaster”, Swedish media reported. Reports say that confidential data about military personnel, along with defence plans and witness protection details, were exposed by the Transport Agency. They ...
- Smart fridges and TVs should carry security rating, police chief says
July 24, 2017
Televisions, fridges and other internet-connected home appliances should carry cyber security ratings alongside energy efficiency ratings, a police chief has suggested. Durham chief constable Mike Barton said customers should be given the at-a-glance information for internet-ready equipment in the same way fridges, freezers, TVs and other appliances have to display their energy efficiency ratings before sale. Barton, ...
- Quantum Computing Would Make Today’s Encryption Obsolete
July 20, 2017
Quantum computing offers processing power so vast it may soon make today’s supercomputers look as crude as 1980s PCs. There’s a downside—the technology might also render the most secure encryption systems obsolete, cracking codes in a matter of minutes rather than months or years. Gregoire Ribordy says he has a solution. And it’s selling fast ...
- Hackers Attack Trump Hotels, Steal Credit Card Details and Personal Data
July 12, 2017
Hackers breached the systems used by 14 different Trump Hotels properties between August 10, 2016 and March 9, 2017, managing to steal sensitive information like guests’ credit card details and other personal information. In a 9-page notification published on the official page, Trump Hotels informs customers that hackers managed to breach the systems of Sabre Hospitality ...