TIP 3/10. How do data brokers obtain information?

Most companies are finding out that they have a secondary source of income, which is that the data about their customers is probably just about as valuable, maybe even more so, than the actual product or service that they're selling to the individual. So, there's a whole new revenue stream that many companies have found.

 

That data becomes much more valuable when it's married up to the much more personal information that's being volunteered on the Internet. Data Broker "Take 5 Solutions," runs 17 websites like "GoodParentingToday.com" and "T5 HealthyLiving.Com," where people can share stories about their families and health. What web visitors don't realize is that "Take 5's" real business is collecting and selling the information. (Steve Kroft (2014) The Data Brokers: Selling your personal information).