I checked my data broker count last week and hit 47 different companies tracking me

I live in Portland, OR and finally ran one of those data removal services after putting it off for months. 47 different brokers had profiles on me. That felt like a lot for someone who doesn't even use social media much. It made me wonder how many people have way more than that and just don't know. Has anyone else run a check like that and been surprised at the number?

2 comments

2 Comments

derek991d ago

I gotta push back on that "47 feels like a lot" idea. If you've been online for more than a few years, that number is actually pretty low for a normal person. Data brokers buy and sell info from each other all the time, so even if you don't use social media your credit card, grocery rewards, and even your car loan is getting passed around. Honestly, 47 sounds like they caught the big ones but probably missed a bunch more that just aren't on whatever list they checked.

anderson.gavin1d ago

Gotta be real with you, is this actually something to lose sleep over? 47 brokers having your name and address isn't really a big deal when you think about how much data gets traded every day. Your grocery store loyalty card knows what cereal you buy, your bank knows your paycheck, and the DMV sells your info for like five bucks. None of that is gonna get you hacked or ruin your credit. Plus most of those brokers just have basic stuff like your age and what zip code you live in. Seems like running the removal service just gave them your email to spam you with more of their services later.