Most people assume hackers and <a href="https://techcrunch.com/2019/01/04/marriott-five-million-passport-numbers-stolen-starwood/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">data breaches are the biggest threat to their online privacy</a>. And while both are certainly a big problem, your digital information is at risk from a much more insidious threat. In fact, if your personal information is floating around on the web, the vast majority of it probably came straight from you.
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Every time you buy something online, create a new account, or even click on a Facebook link, you are handing out little pieces of your personal information. These little bits of info are then collected by data brokers who then piece them all together to create comprehensive digital profiles containing your age, race, gender, height, weight, phone number, email address, physical address, marital status, occupation, income, investments, net worth, home ownership status, religious affiliation, political affiliation, product preferences, and even health issues. The brokers then sell these profiles to online marketers.
It sounds shady, but in most cases, it’s all perfectly legal. Everything is right there in the fine print that most of us don’t read. Unfortunately, the only 100-percent fool proof solution is to stop going online. However, since that&#8217;s probably not feasible, the next best thing is to <a href="https://www.shareasale.com/u.cfm?d=587467&amp;m=64575&amp;u=1363912" target="_blank" rel="noopener">keep your information off the most popular data broker sites with a service like DeleteMe</a>.
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<a href="https://www.shareasale.com/u.cfm?d=587467&amp;m=64575&amp;u=1363912" target="_blank" rel="noopener">DeleteMe</a> does exactly what its name suggests. When you sign up, their trained internet privacy experts search for and delete your personal information from dozens of leading data broker sites. <a href="https://www.shareasale.com/u.cfm?d=587467&amp;m=64575&amp;u=1363912" target="_blank" rel="noopener">DeleteMe</a> then sends you a detailed removal report within seven days, giving you a comprehensive rundown of exactly what information was removed as well as the databases which it was removed from. After that, they monitor and remove your information on a quarterly basis for the duration of your subscription.
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Simply put, <a href="https://www.shareasale.com/u.cfm?d=587467&amp;m=64575&amp;u=1363912" target="_blank" rel="noopener">DeleteMe</a> is the fastest and simplest way to prevent people from profiting off your identity and ensure that your info doesn’t fall into more nefarious hands. And their outstanding customer support and 100-percent satisfaction guarantee provide peace of mind other services simply can&#8217;t match.
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So if you want to get serious about online privacy, but drastic options like quitting social media or online shopping are not a realistic option, click here to <a href="https://www.shareasale.com/u.cfm?d=587467&amp;m=64575&amp;u=1363912" target="_blank" rel="noopener">take a long hard look at DeleteMe</a>.
Futurism fans: To create this content, a non-editorial team worked with an affiliate partner. We may collect a small commission on items purchased through this page. This post does not necessarily reflect the views or the endorsement of the Futurism.com editorial staff.

Ever want to disappear from the internet?

If you want to protect online privacy, you need to hit the data brokers where it hurts

Brands We Love

If you're serious about online privacy, DeleteMe is a service that removes your information from public databases to prevent data brokers from using it.

If You Want to Protect Online Privacy, You Need to Hit the Data Brokers Where It Hurts

DeleteMe removes your personal information from leading data broker sites.

Now that we&#8217;re well into the new year, chances are you&#8217;ve probably already dropped the ball on most of your New Year&#8217;s resolutions. But luckily, if you resolved to make your online security a priority in 2019, it&#8217;s not too late to follow through.
In previous posts, we&#8217;ve discussed <a href="https://futurism.com/vpn-restore-online-privacy" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the importance of using a trusted third-party virtual private network (VPN)</a> to encrypt your data and hide your personal information from hackers, advertisers, and your internet service provider (ISP). After all, if the various hacks and data breeches of 2018 taught us anything, it&#8217;s that our online privacy is under constant attack from threats both large and small. But one of the easiest ways to protect yourself online is by using a trusted VPN.
<h1><a href="http://www.linkev.com/?a_fid=futurism" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ExpressVPN</a></h1>
<figure id="attachment_148156" style="width: 1200px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="http://www.linkev.com/?a_fid=futurism" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="wp-image-148156 size-full" src="https://wp-assets.futurism.com/2019/01/man-on-smartphone.jpg.png" alt="smartphone user " width="1200" height="800" /></a><figcaption class="wp-caption-text">Unsplash</figcaption></figure>
Using a VPN allows you to search the web securely from anywhere, even on unsecured public WiFi networks. And because a VPN is able to spoof your location, you&#8217;re also be able to access geo-blocked content from around the world.
Since it was founded in 2009, <a href="http://www.linkev.com/?a_fid=futurism" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ExpressVPN</a> has become a trusted leader in VPN technology, as well as a vocal advocate for internet freedom and privacy. With more than 2,000 servers spread across 94 countries, the company offers high speed, ultra secure, easy to use protection as well as uncensored access to sites and services around the world.
And with ExpressVPN&#8217;s award-winning apps, a new user can be up and running with the service in a matter of minutes on almost any device, and on almost any operating system, including Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, and Linux. ExpressVPN can even be installed directly onto routers, or used specifically within a browser. But however you choose to use it, you can rest assured knowing your information is secure thanks to ExpressVPN&#8217;s best-in-class encryption and leak-proofing.
Aside from ultra-secure 256-bit AES encryption, ExpressVPN users also receive unlimited bandwidth with no throttling, and access to 24/7 customer service via live chat support, so you can get help in seconds, not days. And because the company is based in the British Virgin Islands, which currently has no data retention laws, ExpressVPN users can rest assured that no one is keeping tabs on your activity, or logging your web history.
In today’s world, if you’re not being proactive about protecting your personal data and online privacy, you&#8217;re leaving exposed to multiple threats. And one of the easiest ways to protect yourself on line is through the use of a trusted VPN service like <a href="http://www.linkev.com/?a_fid=futurism" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ExpressVPN</a>.
Futurism fans: To create this content, a non-editorial team worked with an affiliate partner. We may collect a small commission on items purchased through this page. This post does not necessarily reflect the views or the endorsement of the Futurism.com editorial staff.

Still don't have a VPN? Change that in 2019.

Make your online security a real priority In 2019 with ExpressVPN

ExpressVPN allows users to search the web securely from anywhere, even on unsecured public WiFi, and access geo-blocked content from around the world.

Make Your Online Security A Real Priority In 2019 With ExpressVPN

Take control of your data and privacy before someone else does.

<h2>Apple Of My Eye</h2>
After weeks of notoriety and backlash, Google has scored a legal victory allowing it to keep a close watch on users of Google products.
On Saturday, a U.S. District Judge in Chicago <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-12-29/google-wins-dismissal-of-suit-over-facial-recognition-software-jq9w1mws">dismissed a lawsuit</a> filled against the internet giant which alleged that Google violated users&#8217; right to privacy by using facial recognition technology without their consent. The lawsuit, originally filed in 2016, was the result of the <a href="https://www.theverge.com/2018/12/29/18160432/google-facial-recognition-lawsuit-dismissal-illinois-privacy-act-snapchat-facebook">Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act</a>, one of the strictest biometric security laws in the nation. It requires tech companies to obtain explicit permission from Illinois citizens in order to make any biometric scans of their bodies.
Facebook and Snapchat are facing similar challenges from the law, but Google&#8217;s victory could signal a new era in the use and development of facial recognition technology.
<h2>&#8220;Concrete Injuries&#8221;</h2>
In his dismissal of the case, U.S. District Judge Edmond E. Chang cited the lack of &#8220;concrete injuries.&#8221; In the legal realm this means either physical damage or damage to one&#8217;s reputation which actually exists. In short, Chang&#8217;s conclusion was that despite not asking permission, Google&#8217;s use of the plaintiff&#8217;s photos didn&#8217;t result in any physical harm or damage to their reputation and was therefore legal. The cases against Facebook and Snapchat <a href="https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2018/07/eff-illinois-supreme-court-protect-biometric-privacy">are still pending</a>, but Google&#8217;s win could provide lawyers with some ammunition in defending the other two tech giants.
<h2>Big Brother</h2>
Facial recognition technology may take center stage in increasingly common debates about the intersection of advanced technology and rights to personal privacy.  Still, development continues despite the <a href="https://futurism.com/the-byte/amazon-rekognition-falsely-matched-congresspeople">technology&#8217;s imperfections</a> and warnings from <a href="https://futurism.com/microsoft-president-face-recognition-tech">other tech executives</a> calling for stricter legal guidelines.
Facial recognition technology is becoming increasingly common in everyday life, cropping up <a href="https://futurism.com/the-byte/airport-delta-facial-recognition">at airports</a> and even <a href="https://futurism.com/the-byte/taylor-swift-facial-recognition">Taylor Swift concerts</a>. Yet, as we continue to decide who has what right to our data and why, big technology companies are moving quickly to decide our future for themselves.
READ MORE: <a href="https://www.theverge.com/2018/12/29/18160432/google-facial-recognition-lawsuit-dismissal-illinois-privacy-act-snapchat-facebook">Google wins dismissal of facial recognition lawsuit over biometric privacy act</a> [TheVerge]
More on facial recognition: <a href="https://futurism.com/microsoft-president-face-recognition-tech">Microsoft President Warns Of “1984” Facial Recognition Future</a>
<h2></h2>

Google wins lawsuit over facial recognition technology

Eye on You

A lawsuit against Google alleging it violated users' right to privacy by using facial recognition technology without their consent was recently dismissed.

Google Wins Lawsuit Over Facial Recognition Technology

Tech companies may now be more free to use facial recognition technology without your consent.

<h2>It’s Alive</h2>
Tim Berners-Lee, who&#8217;s often credited with inventing the World Wide Web in 1989, sees a modern Frankenstein’s Monster in how his creation is being used today.
That’s the gist of Berners-Lee’s comments at Monday’s Web Summit tech conference, where <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2018/11/05/inventor-of-the-web-says-the-internet-is-at-a-tipping-point-and-reveals-a-new-plan-to-fix-it.html">CNBC reported</a> that he laid out ground rules for a new &#8220;<a href="http://webfoundation.org/docs/2018/11/The-Case-For-The-Web-Report.pdf">Contract for the Web</a>&#8220;and called for a <a href="https://futurism.com/the-byte/fcc-hack-never-happened">return to net neutrality</a>.
<h2>Crowd Surfing</h2>
The new contract, published by Berners-Lee&#8217;s World Wide Web Foundation, calls for safeguards that protect users&#8217; data from being sold, stolen, or misused. Looking back at the history of the web, Berners-Lee argued that without explicit protections against them, hate speech, misinformation, and abuse have been allowed to proliferate online.
&#8220;If you&#8217;d asked me 10 years ago, I would have said humanity is going to do a good job with this,&#8221; Berners-Lee told CNBC. &#8220;If we connect all these people together, they are such wonderful people they will get along. I was wrong.&#8221;
<h2>Bad Feeling</h2>
Apparently Facebook and Google, two of the largest <a href="https://futurism.com/google-plus-privacy-bug">perpetrators of privacy violations</a> and <a href="https://futurism.com/darpa-stop-deepfakes-facebook-google">unscrupulous online activity</a>, have already signed onto the contract. It raises the question of how useful such an agreement could possibly be, given the fact that these tech giants are unlikely to sign anything that would hurt their bottom line.
All the same, anything that <a href="https://futurism.com/state-laws-protect-user-online-data">helps restore net neutrality</a> is a good thing, especially if Berners-Lee is willing to throw his weight around.
READ MORE: <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2018/11/05/inventor-of-the-web-says-the-internet-is-at-a-tipping-point-and-reveals-a-new-plan-to-fix-it.html">The inventor of the web says the internet is now at a &#8216;tipping point&#8217; — and reveals a plan to fix it</a> [CNBC]
More on net neutrality: <a href="https://futurism.com/net-neutrality-gone-affect-you">Net Neutrality Is Officially Gone. Here’s How This Will Affect You.</a>

Tim Berners-Lee, who invented the web, used to be optimistic about its role in society. That's changed. "I was wrong," he says.

The Inventor of the Web Says It's Broken and Net Neutrality Can Fix It

Frankenstein's Monster

Tim Berners-Lee, who created the world wide web in 1989, just called for online privacy regulations and restored net neutrality.

The Inventor of the Web Says It’s Broken and Net Neutrality Can Fix It

Berners-Lee announced a new Contract for the Web to protect basic rights online.

Companies all over the world spent months preparing for last Friday, when the European Union began to enforce its sweeping data privacy act, the General Data Protection Regulation. During that time, privacy advocates were hoping, were <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-facebook-privacy-eu-exclusive/exclusive-facebook-to-put-1-5-billion-users-out-of-reach-of-new-eu-privacy-law-idUSKBN1HQ00P">led to believe</a>, that tech companies would grant the rest of the world those same improved protections afforded to European citizens.
That didn&#8217;t happen. Facebook relocated its servers so it wouldn’t have to give GDPR protections to everyone, and some news sites blocked European access while they sorted out how to follow the new laws and avoid fines.
The federal government hasn’t stepped up to enact any similar protections on this side of the Atlantic — in fact it’s not even clear whether or not net neutrality will return in America. So two states are moving forward with their own new rules. Last week <a href="https://legislature.vermont.gov/assets/Documents/2018/Docs/BILLS/H-0764/H-0764%20As%20Passed%20by%20Both%20House%20and%20Senate%20Unofficial.pdf">Vermont passed legislation</a> requiring data brokers (companies that collect and sell personal information based on people’s online activity) to register with the government, keep users up to date on where their data is going, give them a chance to opt out, and adopt better cybersecurity practices, <a href="https://slate.com/technology/2018/05/state-level-data-privacy-laws-are-leapfrogging-congress.html">as reported by Slate</a>.
California may soon have similar rules in place. <a href="https://www.npr.org/sections/alltechconsidered/2018/05/28/614419275/do-not-sell-my-personal-information-california-eyes-data-privacy-measure">According to NPR</a>, so many Californians have backed the citizen-proposed California Consumer Privacy Act of 2018 that it will soon end up on an official ballot for a statewide vote. Should it be ratified into law, Californians could choose to prevent websites from <a href="https://www.caprivacy.org/about">selling any personal information</a> collected on them.
These laws would mean that any large company like Facebook or Google would need to differentiate between visitors from Vermont (and maybe soon California) and anywhere else, and provide different services and levels of individual control over personal information to people based on their location.
That is, unless they chose to apply the protections to all users in the country anyway. And for many, that&#8217;s the ultimate goal, no matter if it&#8217;s companies or legislators that make that happen. Because providing different services and granting different levels of privacy on a state-wide versus continental scale is presumably more difficult and annoying, the people behind the California Consumer Privacy Act of 2018 hope that companies would just make things simpler and apply the policy to the entire country.
This would mean the companies would make less money made on the personal data and advertising markets, so it seems unlikely that companies would implement protections nationwide without being legally required to do so.
In the meantime, the next step is to see how Vermont’s new laws stand up if data brokers challenge them in court, or when it comes time to enforce violations. For those of us that care about our digital privacy, it would be nice to see it stick.

Vermont and California want people to be able to opt out if companies sell their info.

Two states are trying to give people control over their online data

Future Society

Vermont and California are currently leading the push for Americans to have better control over how companies use and sell their personal information.

Two States Are Trying To Give People Control Over Their Online Data

New laws in Vermont and proposed legislation in California would require companies to be more transparent in how user data is stored and sold.

With the rise of more encrypted chat apps, and protests all over the country, it might be difficult for Russia to eliminate private speech.

Russia bans Telegram after an 18 minute hearing

Russia Bans Telegram After an 18 Minute Hearing

Tom and Jerry. Wile E. Coyote and Roadrunner. Governments and Facebook.
Somehow, the little guy keeps evading the bigger one&#8217;s grasp.
Lately, it seemed as though the European Union got pretty close to pinning down Facebook in a way that would actually protect consumers from abuses of their personal data. However, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/23/technology/privacy-regulation-facebook-google.html">the New York Times</a> and <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/how-europes-new-privacy-rules-favor-google-and-facebook-1524536324?mod=e2fb">the Wall Street Journal</a> revealed that laws intended to rein in data-guzzling tech companies like Facebook and Google, may in fact strengthen the hold those companies have on users and their data.
The deadline for the EU&#8217;s new set of laws — General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) — is fast approaching. The law requires companies that leverage user data, like Facebook, to make user agreements clear and concise. The user needs to be able to understand these terms and conditions, and how they affect their own privacy online.
Silicon Valley giants, most notably Facebook, are making a big show to comply. They&#8217;re <a href="https://futurism.com/facebook-updated-its-privacy-settings/">tweaking their user interfaces</a> and <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-facebook-abuse/facebook-releases-long-secret-rules-on-how-it-polices-the-service-idUSKBN1HV0VR">publicizing internal guidelines</a> as the law requires — even if it&#8217;s mostly to avoid <a href="https://www.gdpreu.org/compliance/fines-and-penalties/">penalties that may include hefty fines</a>.
GDPR was the first formidable law designed to make Silicon Valley accountable for how it&#8217;s handling user data, an example that perhaps the U.S. could follow should it somehow grow the cojones to <a href="https://www.wired.com/story/what-would-regulating-facebook-look-like/">regulate big tech companies</a>.
On paper, GDPR is clearly a step in the right direction. But even GDPR, upon closer scrutiny, lacks the specificity necessary to threaten to tech companies’ dominance, or even prevent a data disaster like <a href="https://futurism.com/abuse-facebook-data-cambridge/">Cambridge Analytica</a>.
Though Facebook is making the required changes for European users, it&#8217;s clear that the company only cares about user data protection as much as it has to. Zuckerberg has announced plans to double its safety and security team (people in charge of moderating abuses on the platform) from 10,000 <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/mark-zuckerberg-facebook-supreme-court-independent-council-abusive-content-2018-4">to 20,000 employees</a>, and announced it will introduce an <a href="https://www.theverge.com/2018/4/24/17270910/facebook-community-guidelines-appeals-process">appeals process</a>, where users can request reviews if their post was taken down without breaking any of Facebook&#8217;s community rules.
No one reads the user agreements, so it’s easy for tech companies to include whatever is necessary to satisfy the law, but to continue to function however they please (no one is quite sure <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbestechcouncil/2018/04/12/preparing-for-gdpr-and-all-its-unpredictability/#64dfead45feb">how the law will be enforced</a>, or how strictly).
And if they continue with business as usual, they&#8217;re ignoring a very real threat: once private user data lands in the wrong hands, things can go south very quickly. We&#8217;ve seen the results first hand: from meddling with <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2018/mar/23/leaked-cambridge-analyticas-blueprint-for-trump-victory">democratic elections</a> to furthering hate speech and <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/apr/03/revealed-facebook-hate-speech-exploded-in-myanmar-during-rohingya-crisis">prosecution of ethnic minorities</a>.
But these seem like small solutions to much larger problems that will continue to persist.
And, frankly, why would it? As history shows, the big players like Facebook are the ones who <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/23/technology/privacy-regulation-facebook-google.html">often even profit from regulation</a> because they have the capital to comply with the law, pushing out startups that might have presented competition.
Users, you would think, could take a stand and demand the true reform GDPR promised. But that&#8217;s not happening, and perhaps we should stop demanding that from them. For all the frenzy around #deletefacebook, users aren&#8217;t leaving the platform in droves (if <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2018/04/10/zuckerberg-in-joint-senate-committee-hearing-no-facebook-user-dropoff.html">Zuckerberg is to be believed</a>). And those that have stayed don&#8217;t seem particularly bothered to <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/24/business/economy/facebook-privacy.html">revise their privacy settings</a>. Facebook has frequently updated these settings, <a href="https://futurism.com/facebook-updated-its-privacy-settings/">introducing shortcuts</a> and adding calls-to-action. But little has changed as a result.
If legislation benefits the companies it means to regulate, and users aren&#8217;t doing much about it, where do we go from here? We&#8217;ve seen an emergence of <a href="https://futurism.com/minds-social-media-pay-data/">open-source, decentralized social media networks</a> popping up across the board that are trying to redefine the way we interact with social media. And their ideas are promising: rather than exploiting users, every user could benefit by getting a cut from the effort they invest in it. But people aren&#8217;t joining en masse, at least, yet.
Unfortunately, it may take another big data breach, another violation of users trust in their social media platforms, to force governments to come up with a more effective solution for regulating the likes of Facebook. That is, if Facebook will still be relevant by then.

Why do we keep letting them get away with this?

Even Europe's new privacy laws can't regulate Facebook

Sci-Fi Visions

Chances are we will be sitting on the same pile of questions, and dealing with even more data breaches after the EU's new privacy laws go into effect.

/Digital Privacy

Brands We Love

If You Want to Protect Online Privacy, You Need to Hit the Data Brokers Where It Hurts

Brands We Love

Make Your Online Security A Real Priority In 2019 With ExpressVPN

Eye on You

Google Wins Lawsuit Over Facial Recognition Technology

Frankenstein's Monster

The Inventor of the Web Says It’s Broken and Net Neutrality Can Fix It

Future Society

Two States Are Trying To Give People Control Over Their Online Data

Future Society

Russia Bans Telegram After an 18 Minute Hearing

Sci-Fi Visions

Even Europe’s New Privacy Laws Can’t Regulate Facebook

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