Do you wonder how unfamiliar brands manage to contact you about their latest promotions? Or, how you suddenly receive texts from companies you've never given your number to?

From a myriad of sources, data brokers gather as much as they can about you. They know how much your information is worth, and they can reap big profits by selling it. But what exactly are data brokers, and how do you make them stop stalking you?

What are Data Brokers?

According to an article in the Los Angeles Times, the data brokering industry could be worth a staggering $200 billion. Data brokers drive this industry. They collate various data points based on your online activity and then sell them to various buyers. These buyers can range from potential employers to marketers and advertisers, etc.

This data is largely personal and can include your name, mobile number, email address, places you've visited, educational level, civil status, job, recent purchases, overall fitness level, and known investments.

Why Data Brokers Collect Data

Most data brokers collect data under the guise of improving businesses or business intelligence. Often, this practice is touted as improving the ways retailers serve their customers. Depending on your consumer profile, this data allows the assignment of a specific dollar value for your expected profitability. For example, many believe that brokers can sell email addresses owned by high-income earners at higher prices due to the earner's likelihood of spending more money.

However, ads are not the only thing that your data is used for. As technology evolves, data collected has become more granular. This granularity often causes consumer profiling that may affect insurance premiums, transportation prices, and even credit scoring.

While these concerns might seem scary, there can also be other repercussions to data collection. For example, giving companies access to personal information puts you at risk in the event of a security breach. And, with the right information, hackers can steal your identity, apply for bank loans, or harass you and your family.

Related:Why You Should Decentralize Your Data

How Data Brokers Get Your Data

Social Media

Through the years, big technology companies have been silently building your consumer profile in several ways. Here's how they mine this information:

Public Records

Using publicly available sources, data brokers can get valuable information such as property ownership, marriage licenses, legal proceedings, professional licenses, voter registration, and so on.

Online Shopping History

Even if you're a fan of offline shopping, records of your impulse purchases, loyalty cards, and weekly groceries show a lot about your consumption. On the other hand, online shopping history reveals information like your socioeconomic standing, present address, and spending habits.

Social Media

Long-term internet users may have already revealed a little too much about themselves online through the years. Unless you've taken the time to erase your social media presence, your profiles can hold a treasure trove of information like birthdays, life events, hometowns, languages spoken, and political affiliations.

Browsing History

When you browse the internet using search engines, you are teaching data brokers about your general interests. It doesn't matter if you're taking Buzzfeed MBTI quizzes or just watching TV. Either way, data brokers can use your information to determine which companies will profit from your related interests.

Smart Home Devices

Lastly, data brokers don't just accumulate information from your browsing history use. As more people invest in smart home devices like doorbells, cameras, speakers, and watches, more companies have access to previously unavailable data. For example, many smart home devices now reveal real-time location data, fitness levels, IP addresses, and more.

How to Opt Out of Major Data Broker Databases

Hand with Word No

Unfortunately, there's no one single way to opt out of data brokerage databases. Each company has different procedures and requirements. But some general principles apply when removing yourself from broker's lists.

Manually Request Brokerage Database Removal

Each data brokerage firm will have specific procedures for manual database removal. While some of these firms only require that you fill out a form, others are more stringent and require extensive proof of identity.

Here is a list of data brokerage firms that you should aim to remove yourself from first:

Because it is your right to opt out, it is entirely free to request data removal. However, you should expect this process to take weeks, months, or sometimes years to complete.

Sign up for the National Do Not Call Registry

Under the US Federal Trade Commission, people can request to be removed from telemarketing databases. To register, visit the National Do Not Call Registry website. Unfortunately, charities, political groups, debt collectors, and surveys are still allowed to call you. However, for organizations that violate the telemarketing terms, you can report them. Unfortunately, these calls can take up to 31 days to stop.

Hire a Privacy Information Removal Service

While it is possible to do the legwork yourself, hiring professionals to do it for you is also possible. For example, privacy information removal firms like DeleteMe help scrub online information like your name, address, property value, photos, and phone numbers from major data brokerage firms. Similar services will also send regular reports. Additionally, most perform routine scans every few months for newly collected information.

Hire Reputation Management Services

For public figures, reputation management services can help you manage your public persona and limit access to your information. While not as precise as privacy information removal firms, reputation management teams often have a holistic perspective on data removal. That means they can help identify which information to remove and which to keep. So, if you're looking to improve your public image while still saying safe, these services are an excellent option.

Keep Your Data Brokers Off Your Trail

Unfortunately, it's almost impossible to remove all your data from the clutches of data brokers. Furthermore, even if you successfully remove your profile from the major brokerages, there is no guarantee that your record will stay clean. Additionally, some data is useful, especially when it is used in the proper context.

While online data privacy is still a relatively new problem, it will only get more relevant in the coming years. By understanding how data brokers take advantage of this data and how to protect yourself from these brokers, you can enjoy a much safer online experience.