I Knew Cookies Would Come Back To Haunt Me.

Not the cookies, you think. But the little nagging files saved to your computer every time you surf the web. A few days ago, I saw a car I was interested in online. I contacted the dealership, who took down all my information as he gave me information regarding the car. Needless to say, they sold the car right out from under me. But that wasn't the only thing that was sold. My credit is frozen (by choice), and every time I am interested in making a purchase that might require a soft (or hard…ugh!) credit check, I go to every credit bureau and do an unfreeze or unlock. Afterward, I receive a text about the creditor who did an inquiry. Then I refreeze or relock. This time, however, I was bombarded with calls, emails, and texts regarding purchasing a vehicle. Not even the same

vehicle of interest. Calls came from all across the US. I couldn't believe it…it had only been a couple of days.

Cookies are responsible for those calls. Those bite-size files from places you have visited on the web track your every move. They are hidden on your computer and are responsible for putting in front of you everything you are looking for when you are browsing. Some of the places you visit

may steal your personal information (if your ISP doesn't do it first} sell it, and voile' you become a nationwide customer.

That is what data brokers do. They sell your information. It wasn't necessarily the car dealer who sold my information; it could have been the credit reporting company that held my information or the bank that reviewed my loan for an offer. According to Last Week Tonight online, data brokering is a multi-billion dollar industry and a "sprawling unregulated ecosystem." Reporter John Oliver stated that apps on your phone track your location and sell that information to third-party brokers https://youtu.be/wqn3gR1WTcA Oliver claims that Life 360, the app that tracks your loved ones for you(and I have on my phone) sold location data to twelve different brokers. They now claim they no longer sell information and that they stripped the personal data before selling it. He says that most companies claim they do the same stripping before data is sold. But Oliver says it is easy to find who is behind the data set with only a few demographic attributes like zip code.

It's a losing situation for anyone who truly values their privacy. Of course, a few solutions exist, like purchasing and using a VPN when surfing. I have one on my phone, but I used the work computer to conduct my search. With the lack of privacy, I don't even see why a hard credit check with the credit bureau was necessary. Surely, they already know I pay my bills on time and my paycheck is substantial enough. I should have been able to walk out my employer's door with a brand-new Tesla waiting in the parking lot for me, lol! Not!