Protect your data from being harvested by taking these steps.
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Despite the plummeting stock price since February this year, Facebook, or Meta, is one of the OG social media platforms where people share information and stay in touch with friends and family. However, it has come under fire for misconducts over the last decades, including misinformation, dark pattern usage and, lately (or again; i.e. the 2018 Cambridge Analytica scandal), data harvesting practices that compromise user privacy.
In January this year, a class-action lawsuit has been filed against Facebook’s parent company, Meta, in the United Kingdom, claiming that the social media network has harvested their personal data. Filed by competition expert Dr. Liza Lovdahl Gormsen, the US$3.2 billion lawsuit alleges that the social media network “abused its market dominance” by imposing unfair terms and conditions on UK users to profit from their personal information.
The claim, if successful, could see more than 44 million users compensated for the exploitation of their personal and private information from 2015 to 2019. During these four years, Facebook amassed data both within its own platform and from third-party websites via the Facebook Pixel, an advertising tool that third-party websites may use to track user actions on their sites. This data helped the company make excessive profits.
Just last month, another class-action lawsuit hit the social media giant for alleged scraping of sensitive patient-status data through hospital websites, violating the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). This case was filed by an anonymous patient in the Northern District of California. Meta can’t seem to catch a break.
That said, data collection isn’t bad or illegal in essence. Businesses can create targeted ads and improve user experiences if they use it properly and be transparent about their practice. If your data falls into the wrong hands, your personal details might be sold and capitalized upon.
Data harvesting refers to collecting information from various sources, like websites, apps and social media platforms, into a database to draw inferences. In most situations, data harvesting scripts (pieces of computer code) and bots are used to gather information, such as contact information, personal data and payment details, without the user’s knowledge. These scripts analyze the collected data and run automated searches against them.
In some cases, legitimate purposes, such as research or marketing, might also require data harvesting. However, your data could also be scraped for malicious purposes, such as identity theft and fraud.
Most people think of data harvesting as something that only big companies do. The truth is, anyone can do data harvesting with a computer and an internet connection. All it takes is a little know-how and some time. Therefore, if you don’t want to fall victim to scams, make sure that you take the following steps to protect your data.
Use a VPN
A virtual private network (VPN) hides your IP address (the code that identifies your online connection) at its most basic level. It creates an end-to-end encrypted connection, making it more difficult for hackers to access your data. If you use a VPN to surf the internet, your Internet Service Provider (ISP) and other third-party websites will not be able to access your online activity and history.
Furthermore, a VPN also protects your privacy when you connect to public Wi-Fi networks. Bear in mind that your data is always at risk when you use a public Wi-Fi network at a coffee shop, restaurant or hotel. To minimize the risk, use a quality VPN when using a public Wi-Fi network.
Update your devices’ privacy settings
Social media platforms are part of our lives now, and thus it is more important than ever to ensure that the privacy settings of your phone and laptop are properly set up to protect yourself from data harvesting. For example, you can adjust permissions to prohibit third-party apps from scraping your data, such as modifying which apps can access your current location. Check and update your security settings regularly.
Use anti-tracking browsers and browser extensions
Additionally, consider using privacy-focused browser or browser extensions, like Privacy Badger and DuckDuckGo, to help block data-mining trackers.
For instance, the DuckDuckGo browser extension rates each website and gives it a privacy score, so that you know which sites use encryption and are safe to browse. It also blocks trackers from third-party sites and informs you which advertisers are monitoring your online activity. As for Privacy Badger, its extension uses algorithmic methods to identify and block recurring trackers across websites. It does not block any sites immediately upon installation because it has to learn what to block according to what sites you go to.
Do your research before you enter contests or surveys
We’ve all seen the pop-ups and banner ads that promise us gifts if we just enter our email address or take a survey. While it’s tempting to go for the chance to win a new car or get a free vacation, it’s important to do your research before entering any sketchy-looking surveys. There are a lot of scammers out there who are looking to collect your data, and they will use any means necessary to get it.
Before handing your personal information to any sites, find out who is collecting the data, how it will be used and whether you’re comfortable with that. It only takes a few minutes, but it could save you a lot of headaches down the road.
By taking the time to safeguard your data and keeping your personal details out of the public eye, you can keep your data from harvesting attempts by hackers and data brokers. So go ahead, stay informed and stay secure!
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It is time to tackle the growing problem of removing your personal data from uncontrolled online displays, and there are solutions within your grasp.
Let’s face some hard-core facts about life online. We spend a tremendous amount of time with our electronic devices connected to the internet. Websites track our activities, and mobile apps go everywhere with us and follow what we do. Data brokers are constantly looking for bits and pieces that allow them to maintain a high-risk personal profile on us.
Like it or not, this is business. The business is targeting you with personalized sales pitches, barraging you with online fraud scams, and harvesting clues to your internet identity. According to various industry reports in recent years, more than 4,000 data broker sites are collecting data on over 500 million consumers.
Plus, you probably have painted a convenient picture of yourself with plenty of clues to your online identity using social media. So never doubt that your personally identifiable information (PII) is exposed to hackers and people trackers, putting your personal and financial security at risk.
This article will help you become more aware of evildoers’ tactics to track and attack you digitally as they attempt to steal your data and online identity and make you a prime target for ransomware. Familiarize yourself with these strategies to delete your data from public record websites and other online dens of inequity.
Typically, personal data is harvested, bought, and sold repeatedly. It is difficult to know who has your information, so it becomes a constant game of monitoring where your data resides, often only to find that it resurfaces someplace new.
Information on the internet is so pervasive that trying to wipe your information clean with a broad-stroke solution is next to impossible. Search engines — Google has the biggest footprint in this regard — continually aggregate information about people and businesses. Add to that your social media and website presence. All those bits and pieces of data about you make it nearly impossible to keep your name from appearing in search results.
Many data broker sites harvest your personal information, gleaning your life’s details from public records and your online activity. It’s a good practice to periodically search for news about yourself because data, once removed, can again pop up elsewhere.
You can make the job of cleansing your online identity more manageable by taking smaller, more targeted strokes that reduce the available information about you. Do what people hunters do — search for your name and see what details and web sources show up in the results. Start with the biggest, Google, and make a list of where you find the most detailed data dumps about yourself.
Next, make yourself less searchable. Begin the process with your default web browser. Go into the browser’s setting panel and look for Data and Privacy headings, then turn off history settings and Web and App Activity records. Repeat the process in whatever secondary browsers you use.
Review your profile details in the “About Me” sections of the apps you use and the privacy and security settings in social media apps and business listings. Consider removing as much personal, intricate information as possible from what you do and say online. That includes photos and other family images, as well as apps such as Facebook and LinkedIn to restrict who has access to your most sensitive information.
The growing focus on personal privacy online is forcing changes to how businesses wheel and deal with your data. Some of the barriers and stall tactics data brokers and search engine companies used to make it difficult for you to rip your personal information from their online warehouses have softened.
Here is a list of major data collection websites to consider targeting for the removal of information requests to help protect your privacy:
You can contact these online personal information mills and have them remove at least some of the private details they have about you. Sometimes, you can even deny them permission to sell your information.
Often, all it takes is checking their websites to find their contact directions for sending an email to request a deletion. Some offer an online form to request the removal of your information.
When it comes to keeping tabs on your personally identifiable information online, the more you look, the more you find. Embarking on a whack-a-mole privacy campaign can wear down all but the most dogged defenders.
To mitigate the Lone Ranger approach, you can seek the help of data removal services. These companies use their own servers and search tools to automate the process for you. Subscribing to removal services that constantly scour and remove private data can be a good investment.
Some data removal companies excel at doing this better than others. Be wary of free services or those that offer bargain basement discounts. If you are not pleased with one company’s results, try another. The monthly or annual fees may be worthwhile to help make your data disappear from the web. Some of these data removal services offer a free trial to give you a chance to gauge their effectiveness.
In no particular order of preference, here are some services to check out:
If you are more at ease doing the web scrubbing yourself, several websites can help you achieve your privacy goal. Check out these handy web-based tools to fight your personal data privacy campaign.
We hope these tips to limit the exposure of your personal data will help safeguard your digital experience and protect your identity, your reputation, and your assets.
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