Management- Data for Sale - Essay Example

Data brokers or information brokers are individuals and corporations who search various kinds of information for their These data brokers utilise various resources such as the Internet including any online services that deal in databases, public library systems, public records (such as driving license records) as well as using telephone calls. The information gathered is often sold over to a client who is looking to target a particular market niche of customers. Often the information provided by data brokers is sensitive in varying degrees and may include highly sensitive information such as credit card numbers, fiscal transactions, medical records and the like.

(Rugge & Glossbrenner, 1997) 1. Most data brokers do not fully investigate the client that they are selling information to. This results in impersonation being used as a primary tool by hackers to acquire personal information from data brokers. There is a high probability that this information can be misused and incidents in the past have proven that such information is misused. (Baynes, 2011) Not only is the information provided by data brokers subject to misuse intentionally, there are other instances where the information has been abused unintentionally.

There are myriad cases of personal information being lost from the laptops and other resources of data mining companies and data brokers. This poses another serious question as to the security methods employed by data brokers. Again this signals towards an unethical method of dealing with security because there is as yet little legislation to push data brokers to ensure that all information is retained safely. (Whiting, 2006) 2. The unrestrained proliferation of data brokers has a straight negative consequence.

The increasing numbers of data brokers are facing tough competition in an unregulated market so they are forced to use any means to reach greater profitability. These means include selling information on consumers to anyone and anywhere. There is little to no restriction on who purchases this information. Moreover, there is no background check performed on prospective customers of such information. Another alarming fact is that online database systems such as those employed by social networking websites are susceptible to data miners who develop low cost applications to extract information from a host of consumers.

In recent months social networking websites such as Facebook have come under fire for making it very simple for data miners and brokers to rip information off from customers to fill up their data mining programs. (Perez, 2010) In similar spirit, some companies have come forward after providing sensitive information to various clients such as law enforcement agencies without prior permission of the consumers. The world known GPS company Tom Tom, admitted to selling law enforcement agencies information regarding speeding drivers.

This information was extracted from GPS receivers and trackers although the devices did not advertise this fact. (Watters, 2011) 3. Data miners and brokers are helped out in large part by the publication of large volumes of public records through methods such as driving licences. (Privacy Rights Clearinghouse, 2011) Surprisingly a host of information on individuals is available including names, addresses, social security numbers, previous infractions and fines etc. Moreover, the presence of the new social networking media allows data miners to extract information from entire networks of people rather than from individuals.

The inclusion of computing platforms has made it all the more easily to extract, organise, analyse and sell such information which can be automated with relative ease. This allows data miners and brokers to use low cost web applications to automate data extraction and sorting operations such as generating email lists for consumers who like a particular brand of coffee. Another aspect is that governmental agencies are major clients of most data brokers as well as being major suppliers of information too.

Data brokers sell information to law enforcement agencies, revenue services, educational institutions and the like. These organisations are less than likely to kill off a source of information by challenging their practices. 4. The US federal government should step in to regulate the data brokerage market. This is necessary as data brokerage is spinning out of control and may cause more problems such as identity theft and credit card fraud in the future. If the government fails to regulate the data brokerage market, then there are huge chances that information on consumers will be spewed at low costs to anyone willing to pay for the information.

This leaves serious gaps in the practices of the current data miners and brokers which need to be stewarded by the government. Regulation by the government offers more advantages than disadvantages. 5. The website for USA Data offers information on consumers to prospective clients. a. The data sold by USA Data is used by marketers and researchers. There are no restrictions as to who could utilise the information provided by USA Data. b. A prospective client can obtain personal information regarding consumers using online mailing lists.

The information is detailed enough to profile the consumer in question and includes things such as names, addresses, consumption patterns etc. The information is relatively simple to purchase as no background checks are involved. All that is required is a credit card number. This capability can be used to find out how much money you make by spamming through email that would invoke questionnaires through phishing. c. The capabilities of USA Data raise privacy issues as information on people is being spewed out with no thought to consequences. d. If information on me was present in this database, I would like to see it being used by certified professionals only who had some regard for ethics.

Bibliography Baynes, T. (2011, February 24). Consumer lawsuits challenge online data brokers. Retrieved July 12, 2011, from Thomson Reuters: http://newsandinsight.thomsonreuters.com/California/News/2011/02_-_February/Consumer_lawsuits_challenge_online_data_brokers/ Perez, S. (2010, November 1). Facebook Declares "Zero Tolerance" for Data Brokers. Retrieved July 12, 2011, from Read Write Web: http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/facebook_declares_zero_tolerance_for_data_brokers.php Privacy Rights Clearinghouse.

(2011, February). Online Information Brokers and Your Privacy. Retrieved July 12, 2011, from Privacy Rights Clearinghouse: https://www.privacyrights.org/ar/infobrokers.htm Rugge, S., & Glossbrenner, A. (1997). The Information Broker's Handbook. McGraw Hill. Watters, A. (2011, April 28). TomTom Apologizes for Selling Customers' Driving Data to the Cops. Retrieved July 12, 2011, from Read Write Web: http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/tomtom_apologizes_for_selling_customers_driving_da.php Whiting, R.

(2006, July 10). Data Brokers Draw Increased Scrutiny. Retrieved July 12, 2011, from Information Week: http://www.informationweek.com/news/190301136?pgno=1