"What's your 'Social'?"  "May I have your your SSN?"  "I need your Social Security number."  Most of us has been asked for this important number many times.  Perhaps you were visiting a doctor's office for the first time.  Maybe you were applying for a new credit card online.  You might even have been asked for your SSN during an unsolicited phone call. 

 

Earlier this year, Congress voted to repeal Federal Communication Commission (FCC) rules that would have provided broadband Internet customers with privacy protections and increased control over their personal information.  We were disappointed and so were many Americans.  In fact, the public was so unhappy that many states started taking action.  California joined this week, and PRC is excited to support the California Broadband Internet Privacy Act, A.B.

As part of a recent study, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) created a fake customer database of approximately 100 individuals and leaked it on a website frequented by identity thieves.  The data included consumer names, addresses, phone numbers, email addresses, passwords, and payment information (such as a credit card or online account).  None of these individuals were real people, but the credentials were designed to appear legitimate. 

A recent breach at the Chipotle restaurant chain highlights the risk of swiping your debit card at restaurants and other businesses.  Consumers often use debit cards instead of credit cards for smaller purchases, such as at fast food restaurants.  However, debit cards expose consumers to greater fraud risks than credit cards.  This is particularly true when the restaurant has not upgraded its payment terminals to utilize safer chip technology.  Chipotle

We often don't value our privacy until it's gone.  Lost privacy can mean that your personal information is collected, analyzed and shared by data brokers, marketing companies, employers, and insurance companies. You may learn your privacy has been compromised only after you've been refused a job based on your Facebook profile, denied the ability to return a purchase because of previous returns to that store, or added to telemarketing lists.

What are data brokers and people search sites?

Data brokers are companies that collect information about you from a wide range of sources.  They create detailed profiles about you.  They then sell or share your personal information with others, including:

  • Businesses and other organizations
  • Government agencies
  • Other individuals 

People search sites are data brokers that specialize in providing personal information (such as your age, phone number or address) to others online.

The President recently signed S.J. Res. 34 (Senate Joint Resolution), which rolls back privacy regulations enacted last year at the Federal Communications Commission.  These regulations would have blocked Internet Service Providers (ISPs) from sharing their customers’ internet activity with third parties.  They also would have banned ISPs from collecting or storing certain types of customer information without your consent.

 

Every month through our online question & complaint center, we receive numerous inquiries about online data brokers and “People Search” sites. Here are some of the questions we see most frequently, along with our best answers:

My personal information and/or information about my family is published online without my consent. How is this legal?


About the Author: Stephanie Britt is a UCLA alum and CIPP/US-certified privacy rights advocate.

 

Modern consumers live in their phones. But how do you balance the ease of messaging technology with its known risks to personal privacy?

In response to security risks and privacy concerns, many messaging apps have implemented end-to-end encryption to promote trust among their users. However, the degree of privacy users get still varies from app-to-app depending on what information is encrypted and the app’s general design.

 

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