Data brokers are companies which collect personal information on people through both public and private sources—from court records to websites to store sales—and provide it to a wide range of buyers.
It’s unknown exactly how many data brokers operate in the United States, because so many keep a low profile. Credible estimates range from 2,500 to 4,000.
Consumer score is a computer-generated number that attempts to predict your likelihood to get sick, or to pay off a debt. Consumer scores are similar to FICO credit scores, but aren’t regulated as to what factors can be used and how transparent the score and its contributing factors are to the scored individual.
There are three causes for concern.
First, consumer scores are a secret. If those who sell them are evasive about explaining details, those who use them usually are almost totally unknown.
Second, collected data is often incorrect. “We found a 50 percent accuracy rate in Acxiom data we looked at,” says Dixon, “and they are considered among the best.”
Third, and most disturbing, there’s nothing consumers can do about any of this. They don’t know what data is being collected, or by whom. They don’t know what’s being done with it. They don’t know where it is going.
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http://www.newsweek.com/secretive-world-selling-data-about-you-464789
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