Privacy Rights and Data Brokers

Prior to reading this article, my knowledge on data brokers was very limited. I had of course experienced the occasional ads popping up on FaceBook of products I had searched for online, but the fact that I knew so little about this industry as a whole reflects, in my opinion, how unexposed the business really is no matter how "transparent" some may claim to be.
While this article made very clear the unethical aspects of the data brokering business, which I completely agree with, I was curious as to whether or not there may be any circumstances in which the violation of the basic human right of having autonomy over one's personal information and being "let alone" is worth the outcome (Fernback).
According to the FTC, "data broker products help to prevent fraud, improve product offerings, and deliver tailored advertisements to consumers" (FTC 2014). While such outcomes may be beneficial, I did not believe they were enough to justify the business as a whole. In fact, there seemed to be more negative outcomes associated with the brokering business as supported by this article. While I knew that the data I leave behind on the internet, especially social media, is collected and sold, I had no idea that other public records such as court filings and marriage and divorce records were sold too. While, though not at all justified, I can see how those public records can get into the hands of such data collecting businesses, I was shocked to learn that private medical information can be obtained and sold as well. An article by the Scientific American exposes IMS Health, one of the top dominating players in "the medical-data-trading industry" (Tanner). By collecting medical information on various patients, this company was able to harvest billions of dollars, and after winning a case taken to the U.S. Supreme Court on whether or not their business was partaking in privacy invasion, this practice continues even today (Tanner). While it is clear that such businesses are technically legal, I agree with Fernback's argument that the Fair Information Practices (FIPs) are not enough to regulate these brokering companies, and stricter regulation is needed.




(gif from: http://uproxx.com/tv/treat-yo-self-to-the-10-best-gifs-from-last-nights-parks-and-recreation/)


https://www.ftc.gov/system/files/documents/reports/data-brokers-call-transparency-accountability-report-federal-trade-commission-may-2014/140527databrokerreport.pdf

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-data-brokers-make-money-off-your-medical-records/