<
https://theconversation.com/how-did-they-get-my-data-i-uncovered-the-hidden-web-of-networks-behind-telemarketers-238991>
"Last year, I started getting a lot of unsolicited phone calls, mainly from
people trying to sell me things. This came as a surprise because, as a data
scientist, I am very careful about what personal information I let out into the
world. So I set out to discover what had happened.
My investigation took several months. It eventually led me to the labyrinthine
world of data brokers.
In today’s digital age, where personal data is a new kind of gold, these
companies wield significant power, creating networks where our personal
information is shared between brokers and telemarketers as easily as TikTok
videos. Their businesses profit from the data they collect, and many of the
calls they enable come from scammers.
This comes at an enormous cost: in 2023, Australians lost $2.7 billion to
scams. This highlights the urgent need for stronger privacy protections to
limit how our personal data is collected and shared.
In an attempt to address this need, the Australian government this month
introduced long-overdue privacy reforms. But these reforms are still inadequate
for the many privacy issues affecting people today, including targeting by data
brokers and telemarketers."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
