The Federal Trade Commission recently published a report revealing how data brokers use billions of individual data points to produce detailed portraits of virtually every American consumer. Data brokers’ portraits feature traditional demographics such as age, race, and income, as well as political leanings, religious affiliations, Social Security numbers, gun-ownership records, favored movie genres, and gambling preferences (casino or state lottery?). Interest in health issues — such as diabetes, HIV infection, and depression — can be tracked, as well. With thousands of fields of data, brokers also put people into dozens of categories such as “Bible Lifestyle,” “Affluent Baby Boomer,” or “Biker/Hell’s Angels.” “The extent of consumer profiling today means that data brokers often know as much — or even more — about us than our family and friends,” FTC Chairman Edith Ramirez said in a statement. “It’s time to bring transparency and accountability to bear on this industry on behalf of consumers, many of whom are unaware that data brokers even exist.”
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