Added on: 19/08/2024
Have you ever wondered why your inbox is filled with junk, promotions or subscriptions that seem to be coming out of nowhere?
I have.
That was until a few years ago when I was introduced to the Data Protection industry, and discovered some interesting things, including that many companies sell and share our personal data.
Most of the time, this happens behind closed doors, as you don’t know if and when it takes place.
But there are other times when it’s pretty clear.
And that’s how I found that my data was sold at least 3 times.
First time happened about 4 years ago.
One day, out of nowhere, I got a welcome email from a local flower shop in California.
How the hell did these guys got my info, since they only sell within that state?
Luckily, I knew what I had to do.
I immediately sent them a Data Request, and asked what data they had about me, where they got it from and what they’re doing with it.
Initially, they were reluctant to disclose this information, but I don’t back down easily, and I pushed them even more.
They finally told me that they bought my data (fortunately it was only my email address) from 2 US based data brokers.
Second time it happened was about 2-3 years ago. I was working on startup, and was quite active on HARO and on the lookout for opportunities to take part in articles or interviews.
At some point, I found an ad from a publication, sent them an email, completed a form, and waited.
Lo and behold, 2 days later I get a welcome email from Harvard Business Review, and no response from that publication.
I start looking through my emails, maybe I missed something and I actually subscribed to HBR.
Nothing.
So I sent them a Data Request through the platform I was working on at that time.
Again, they were reluctant to answer my request and disclose any info, but I REALLY don’t back down easily and submitted a complaint to the ICO (they handle anything data protection related in the UK).
HBR operates pretty much anywhere across the globe, including UK, and they can’t afford a bad data protection PR or fine.
They finally got back to me almost a month later with some BS answer: they know that I subscribed to their newsletter some many years ago, and didn’t kept records around that time.
Did I really subscribed and forgot about it, or did they bought my data and tried to cover their sh*t?
Who can say…
Now for the final time I got my data sold, I had quite the surprise. It was in the middle of the pandemic. I was in Romania, and my wife and I were travelling back and forth between the UK and Romania.
Back then, you couldn’t enter the UK without a negative test, quarantine or vaccine (remember those good times?).
So we got vaccinated, and found out about a government incentive where they offered some cash for being vaccinated.
Free money!
I applied, they sent the money a week or 2 later, and about a month later it started.
I started getting loads of promotions and marketing emails from a bunch of Romanian companies (bear in mind that I used my email only in UK).
Yeah…even the government is out to sell you.
Good times we live in.
Since you got to the end, have a look below at the template I personally use to send Deletion Requests, so you can start removing your data from companies you don’t use, and avoid having your data sold. Learn from my mistakes.
Data Deletion Request Template:
“Dear Data Protection Officer,
I am writing to you to request the deletion of my personal information from your database, under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA).
I include the information below in order to confirm my identity:
Full name:
Email:
lease confirm once all my information has been removed from your systems.
If you are not the person responsible for handling these requests, please pass this email to your relevant department.”
If you want a simpler way to manage your subscriptions, your data, and your requests (both Data Requests and Deletion Requests), I invite you to join Sentrya (sentrya.net) - get 45% off Pro Plan.
I hope this articles sheds some light on how companies might handle your data, and gives you the push you needed to start improving your privacy and security.
Until next time.
Who is selling your data
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