Despite increased GDPR and CCPA regulations, the data brokering industry continues to be highly profitable. In 2022, the overall market size was valued at around $268 billion.

 

With a predicted CAGR of 4.5%, this number is set to increase to nearly $370 billion by 2029, demonstrating how the demand of data brokers is not set to change any time soon.

 

For internet users around the world, this is a concerning prediction. While many know how to remove personal info from Google and minimize their digital footprint, others are still not aware that data retrieved on the internet has the potential to harm them, no matter what they click on or why.

 

Why Are Data Brokers Dangerous?

 

Every time you use the internet, you are leaving what is known as a digital footprint. This digital footprint is then processed by data brokers and sold for profit. While you might have been careful not to reveal too much about your personal life online, it’s surprising just how detailed the profiles of a data broker can be.

 

Much of the time, a data broker can formulate a profile that includes your name, age, gender, home address, email address, phone number, credit card information, social networking information, and more. These details can then be used by anyone, from scammers to strangers, insurance companies, banks, businesses, and even governments.

 

The potential for scams and identity theft are enough to take issue with, of course, but the invasion of privacy in itself is highly troublesome, considering how many people remain unaware of the problem.

 

So What Can You Do About It?

 

It’s not just businesses that can futureproof a business with cybersecurity. Despite this being one of the most prevalent – and perhaps most unethical – issues that internet users have to face, there are ways to fight back. As we mentioned earlier, one of them is by removing personal info from Google.

 

While this has always been a little difficult, in August of 2023, Google rolled out new and updated privacy management tools, making it easier to request the removal of your information, while keeping track of new information that will be left by your digital footprint.

 

With a vast amount of information being gleaned from Google, this is a helpful tool to take control of your data and minimise the details that data brokers can come into contact with. That being said, it is not the most definitive way to delete a digital footprint.

 

That would be a complete opt out of all data brokers. Far more definitive than deleting Google info, opting out of data brokers can keep data from being tracked and sold, limiting public access to your information while also lowering the risks that are inherent in the data brokering system.

 

It might not ‘fully’ delete your digital footprint – as mentioned before, everytime you use the internet, you leave a trace behind you – but it does work to stop data brokers from gleaning that information, keeping it as secure and private as possible in 2024 and beyond. With the data brokering industry only set to grow bigger, it’s important that internet users wake up to the consequences. Only then will your data truly be yours.