Protecting your Personal Data Overall I was pleased

withthe somatting and how

st
1 Michael Leo my investigative essay came
together
[email protected]
Tallahassee, United States

The beginning sesterces helpscatch the ENC 2135

relating to relevantevents currently

readers
by
taking place

yIn today’s world where

I. I NTRODUCTION
everything is online, a person’s
information, apps you use on your phone are likely doing the
same. A study was conducted where apps with “free” and
privacy is more important than ever. With everything online, “paid” versions of the apps were compared against each other
many people have introduced new services into their workflow to see the difference in third party libraries, premade snippets
such as Zoom. When people begin using these services, many of code, used in their source code and permissions needed
will skip over reading the terms of service associated with the to operate [3]. In the study, they determined what dangerous
application. This is the equivalent of a stranger walking up to permissions the apps needed such as access to your contacts,
you and asking you to sign a stack of legal documents without microphone, camera, and location on the android operating
ever reading through them. You wouldn’t sign the papers just system since they show what permissions are being asked if it
because they asked you to. Even if you were to sign them, the determined potentially dangerous due to the fact it gives access
oE practical thing to do would be to read through the documents to sensitive resources [3]. These are not all the dangerous
before agreeing to the terms. Consumers must be aware of permissions that could be displayed as there are quite a few,
the plethora of ways companies can collect and use their but it should generate a basic understanding of the type of Ee a
o permissions an app might ask for. In the apps used for the
ese
data. These companies that collect consumers’ information are se
considered data brokers. While the definition of a data broker study, 74% of the pairs both requested the same dangerous z
is open to debate, it usually refers to a company selling or permissions [3]. This is due to the fact that most of the third- me
out party libraries used in the free version of the app were used asa
aa using a consumer’s information [1].
in the paid version. The third-party libraries share the same
II. M ETHODS OF DATA C OLLECTION permissions as the main program since they are integrated
A data broker can go about collecting personal information with it giving the same permissions to these libraries. This
in a variety of ways. The easiest way for this type of company allows companies who developed these libraries to collect
to gather information is to go to government records such as massive amounts of data, just for these libraries being used
the U.S. Census Bureau [1]. Since these records are available in the code of these apps. With all these different methods
to the public, there is nothing stopping these “data brokers” to collect your personal data, it leaves the data broker with
from taking this information for their own use. Companies that hundreds of pieces of information about you in which they
rely on the data of consumers will have gathered every piece have to piece together [4]. This can be done in a variety
of data available on the internet to guarantee they have the of ways, but with the advanced technology we have today,
most updated information. Another way companies will collect it is usually done through advanced software to save time.
data is through your digital footprint. Your digital footprint Even if the data broker wanted to piece together your personal
is massive and contains items such as your social media information by hand, it wouldn’t be feasible in the slightest
comments and what you’ve typed into a google search bar as these companies collect millions of consumers’ personal
[4]. Almost everything you have ever posted and commented data. That leaves everything to the broker’s computers, to sift
on can be found by anyone anywhere since the internet through and sort the information collected.
is a public resource. This gives companies the opportunity
to go around collecting your data even though you never III. H OW IS YOUR DATA USED
explicitly agreed since it’s public on the internet. Another One of the most common ways your personal information
method companies can view your digital footprint is through can be used is for targeted advertisements. This is achieved by
the use of internet cookies. A cookie can be described as a advertisement companies gaining your information from data
script that is downloaded onto your computer which will log brokers and showing advertisements that are deemed relevant
your internet activity, so it can be sent back to the company to the consumer [4]. These relevant ads are usually items a
that developed the cookie [2]. Most people don’t realize how consumer has previously searched for or an item the consumer
many cookies they have on their computers, which gives data may find appealing. These kinds of targeted ads can increase
brokers the advantage of not having to worry about the masses the sales of a company by targeting their ads to specific groups
being concerned for their privacy. Not only is the internet of people who are more likely to purchase the products. While
browser you use on the daily likely collecting your personal your data can be used for purposes like targeted ads, your
 data can also be used by hackers. An example would be between a private browsing mode is those cookies are removed
when the data broker Exactis had a data break of about 340 after the browser is closed, but it doesn’t stop those cookies
million consumers’ records [1]. Exactis would not even allow from being installed again after accessing the website that gave
consumers to see if they had been affected [1]. As security you those cookies in the first place. One method to bolster
breaches are on the rise, data brokers such as Exactis must the security of your browser from cookies is to install an
step up the level of security on consumers’ personal data for extension known as Disconnect. Disconnect allows users to
the safety of the public. Since the data brokering in the United view currently installed cookies and prompts the user to accept
States is unmanaged, government guidelines should be put in any new cookies attempting to install themselves [2]. Another
place in order to keep the masses’ personal information safe. way you can protect yourself is through the use of a Virtual
The government has already slowly begun taking steps in the Private Network also known as a VPN. A VPN is a service that
right direction by proposing guidelines such as the Data Broker sends all of your internet traffic through an encrypted tunnel
Accountability Act [2]. to the VPN’s server before directing you to your destination
ou eec [2]. This masks your IP address keeping your original sending
IV. I NTERVIEWS
uso o location private. By doing so the website you are visiting will
After interviewing multiple participants, I received very only see the IP address of the VPN service provider keeping
is
or ea diametric responses to the three questions asked. I started your location unknown. Not all VPN services are the same
o the interview by asking how these individuals felt about data though, choosing a reputable provider is vital as some VPN
o brokers selling their personal data to other companies. The two companies will keep track of your internet traffic and may even
eu
se most common answers were some felt it was a major invasion sell it off you other companies. An example of a reputable rng
oai
o o n
o
u
of privacy, while others felt they had nothing to hide and
didn’t care. After I asked the participants how they felt about
VPN would be providers such as ExpressVPN, CyberGhost
VPN, and Surfshark VPN. Pairing a VPN with a browser
de
E o
companies having to explicitly inform them about what kind extension such as Disconnect would dramatically increase your
of data is collected. Many believed it should be mandatory, privacy as a consumer severely limiting the amount of data that
while others believed there are already laws in place to protect data brokers could collect from you. You may even notice that
them. The answers received with this question emphasize how the relevancy of advertisements you receive starts to become
uninformed the masses are on their privacy. Without a clear random as you cut off these companies’ way of identifying and
understanding of the laws in place already, improvements to collecting information off of you. A service similar to a VPN
these laws won’t happen at the rate required to keep up with is known as The Onion Router (TOR). TOR encrypts the user’s
emerging technologies. This allows data brokers to continue information sending it through various proxy servers around
to collect massive amounts of data daily to build a better the world randomly sending you out of one of these proxies
picture of the consumer. The final question I asked was what to your destination [2]. While this method almost completely
kind of regulations they would like to see put in place to keeps you private, it can be unbearably slow making it an
protect the consumer’s privacy. Very few of the participants unreasonable option. As a consumer, an easy way to begin
wanted these companies to be completely transparent about protecting your privacy for free is making the switch to the
what they do with the consumer data they gather and offer Brave browser. The Brave browser is based on chromium, the
ways for consumers to protect their data. The majority of open-source version of chrome, making it a familiar interface
the participants admitted they didn’t know enough about the to current users of chrome. What sets Brave apart is the fact
subject to give their genuine input. With the majority of that it has built-in ad-blocking features, which by default stops
people not knowing how to answer this question it shows how websites from tracking you and installing cookies. Brave also
unexposed the masses are towards their data privacy. I believe spoofs the specifications of your computer so when a service
the reason for people not knowing about these topics is the collects data from you it isn’t accurate. Brave also allows
idea of the internet still being new. Less than 30 years ago the you to import all of your settings directly from your previous
internet was introduced to the masses and people worldwide browser. If none of these pieces of software suit your interest,
are still learning more and more about the internet every day. you can always rely on your common sense to avoid giving
away extra information about yourself.
V. H OW TO PROTECT YOUR DATA
While companies have countless methods to collect your VI. CONCLUSION
data as a consumer, you also have many different ways to I believe the reason for people not being familiar with these
prevent these companies from prying into your daily life. A topics is since the internet is still new. Less than 30 years nos
s
very common misconception that people believe is private
browsing mode when using an internet browser will keep them
ago the internet was introduced to the public, and with that
governments have had to adapt to a rapidly changing society.
go
undetected. This is rarely true as enabling a private browsing Over time as the public becomes more informed on these a ta n
E E
tab just delete your search history and cookies after using that issues, privacy laws will continue to balance themselves out. 3a
Especially in today’s age, where almost everything is done o s
mode. This means while you’re doing your daily browsing
e as
those cookies are still being installed and collecting your data remotely and technology is integrating into almost everything er
as you use that internet browser. The only real difference we use. Whether you’re using Zoom for business conferences,
Slack for team projects, or you enjoy just scrolling through
social media, you must be aware of what kind of information
you put out on the internet. Data brokers will sift through
social media gathering data you wouldn’t think they’d be
able to access. Just because a company isn’t your friend on
Facebook doesn’t mean they can’t look at your information.
Remember that once it’s on the internet, it’s there forever.
A big mistake that was
overlooked in the
R EFERENCES essay
The references [1], [2], [3], [4], [5], [6] are cited in this was repeating the References
paper. section I consider this rookie
mistake since I was still
R EFERENCES learning how to use LaTex
[1] B. A. Martin, “The unregulated underground market for
your data: Providing adequate protections for consumer
privacy in the modern era.” Iowa Law Review, vol.
105, no. 2, pp. 865 – 900, 2020. [Online]. Available:
http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=truedb=a9hAN=141589805site=ehost-
live
[2] C. Baylon, “Big brother is cashing in on you.” World
Today, vol. 70, no. 2, pp. 18 – 20, 2014. [Online]. Available:
http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=truedb=a9hAN=95381829site=ehost-
live
[3] K. A. Bamberger, S. Egelman, C. Han, A. E. B. On, and
I. Reyes, “Can you pay for privacy? consumer expectations and
the behavior of free and paid apps.” Berkeley Technology Law
Journal, vol. 35, no. 1, pp. 327 – 365, 2020. [Online]. Available:
http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=truedb=a9hAN=144762546site=ehost-
live
[4] J. N. Mehlman, “If you give a mouse a cookie, it’s going to
ask for your personally identifiable information.” Brooklyn Law
Review, vol. 81, no. 1, pp. 329 – 359, 2015. [Online]. Available:
http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=truedb=a9hAN=112304763site=ehost-
live
[5] Y. Nie and X. Han, “Research on consumers’ protection
in advantageous operation of big data brokers.” Cluster
Computing, vol. 22, pp. 8387 – 8400, 2019. [Online]. Available:
http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=truedb=a9hAN=140033810site=ehost-
live
[6] A. K. SMITH, “They are watching you.” Kiplinger’s Personal
Finance, vol. 68, no. 5, pp. 46 – 51, 2014. [Online]. Available:
http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=truedb=a9hAN=95404375site=ehost-
live