Stop the exploitation of personal data, yes to privacy

earthpressnews
Stop the exploitation of personal data yes to privacy

PUBLIC-INFO. Faced with the growing exploitation of our personal data, the protection of our privacy is a crucial concern in a digitalized world.

Collecting as much personal data as possible: the primary goal of data brokers

In the age of the Internet, users’ personal data have become commodities like any other. Accepting cookies, downloading a mobile application, visiting a website… Data brokers or information brokers take advantage of these actions to collect them, to the detriment of the privacy of Internet users. Their job is to buy and sell their data. Issue ? They often do this without first obtaining their informed consent.

The main types of personal data held by data brokers

Among the personal data most commonly held by data brokers, we find:

  • The birth date ;
  • Phone number ;
  • sex;
  • The surname, first name;
  • The IP address;
  • Social Security Number (SSN);
  • Email-address ;
  • The postal address;
  • The level of study;
  • Family ;
  • buying habits;
  • Financial information;
  • The professional situation.

Data brokers, specialized professionals

Depending on their specialization, each data broker collects different types of data:

  • People search sites. The data broker creates detailed profiles, with contact details and general information. Then they sell them or post them online.
  • Marketing. They collect data on online shopping habits, then sell it for commercial purposes.
  • Recruitment. Through the collection of candidate data, they offer screening services to HR managers.
  • Risk mitigation brokers. They are interested in information on health, the police or even court records. He then sells valuation reports to investment firms or corporations.
  • Financial brokers. They collect financial and personal information and then sell it to credit agencies and banks.

Incogni, an automated personal data deletion service

In theory, data privacy laws and regulations like the GDPR protect the rights of individuals. However, deleting personal information from the databases of data brokers at a given time is time-consuming. It can take over 300 hours.

Moreover, it is not always enough. Indeed, in most cases, data brokers collect personal data after a certain period of time. Therefore, deleting data requires continuous effort.

The subscription service offered by Incogni is based on recurring and continuous deletions of personal data. Thus, they remain constantly out of reach of the market.

A very simple subscription process

To take advantage of the Incogni personal information deletion service, customers only have to follow three steps:

  1. Create an account, specifying which personal data they wish to eliminate from the databases of data brokers. It is recommended to use their primary email address. This maximizes the chances of finding and then deleting the personal information.
  2. Grant the right to Incogni to work for them. With delegation of authority, the company takes care of contacting brokers and people search sites on their behalf. It asks them to delete all the personal data of customers present in their databases, public or not. As stipulated by the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), data brokers are required to provide a response within 30 to 45 days. Monthly checks are carried out by the Incogni team. The goal? Ensure that the data is not reintegrated into the databases where it has already been deleted.
  3. Relax while watching Incogni’s experts at work. They process all refusals or objections from data brokers. They keep clients updated on their progress, every step of the way.

The three strengths of Incogni, the paid service to fight against data brokers

Other personal data deletion services are mostly focused on the United States. For its part, Incogni covers:

  • United States ;
  • The United Kingdom ;
  • The European Union (EU);
  • Switzerland ;
  • Canada.

Its broad market coverage makes it accessible to as many people as possible. Another major asset of Incogni is that it works with all types of data brokers. Finally, thanks to a fully automated process, the service makes the deletion of personal information ultra-easy. Communication, follow-up, fight against rejected claims… After registering, Incogni manages all interactions with data brokers.

A 50% reduction on the annual subscription to the Incogni service

Incogni offers two subscription plans to its personal data deletion service:

  • A annual subscription at €6.49 per month instead of €12.99, with a payment of €77.88 upon subscription.
  • A monthly subscription at €12.99 per month.

Both subscriptions can be canceled at any time. They offer a 30 day money back guarantee. For optimal security, payments are encrypted.

Incogni’s primary ambition is to act against data brokers. Launched by Surfshark, a cybersecurity company, its service allows users to remove their personal data from all their files. It limits public access to their private information, mitigates the risk of identity theft and prevents the sale of their data. Right now, Incogni’s annual subscription is half price.

lnte6