Article by Colin Lecher: “The Arkansas-based data broker Acxiom claims it has data on billions of people around the world, including where they live and how they might spend their money. It says it can even deduce their political leanings, weight, and interest in medical procedures.
But what exactly does the company know?
For Tracey Reed, a nonprofit worker in Oregon, it knew enough to compile a 58-page dossier charting the purported history of her income, employment, and education, not to mention her spending, including everything from her online shopping to charitable giving. Although much of the information was incorrect, she said, the company attempted to log where she lived, complete with latitude and longitude coordinates. And it listed dozens of companies to which it had sold data or inferences about her.
“I think it’s pretty gross that people are treated like sources of wealth to be mined,” she said. “And that’s what these data profiles are, like, ‘Here’s a guide for how to squeeze this person and get money out of them.’”…(More)”.
