The personal data available on the Internet, is an extremely tasty morsel for data brokers who, by collecting it meticulously, sell it at a considerable profit. A lot of our data is "circulated" by ourselves, through online shopping, forums, portals or even by not reading the terms and conditions of the websites, portals and applications we use. There are, of course, legal regulations as a shield, but many of the laws are being circumvented by global companies.
Online shopping
Many of us use this service eagerly, considering it our convenience and an outlet for the customer. And yes, it is. However, we should remember that when we make purchases on line, we give the portal in question access to our payment card, account number but also, literally, to the stage of life we are at. Data brokers, by carefully sorting through cyber traces, are able to determine exactly what we need and how to address our weaknesses or illnesses.
Can this be fought?
In principle, by accepting the terms and conditions of a particular service, we consent to many activities and operations on our data. However, there are procedures, protected by law, such as for example data theft, which has been a prosecution charge in the US, in many cases brought against Google. [1]
From the legal side
In the European context, the protection of personal data is regulated by Directive 95/46/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 24 October 1995 on the protection of individuals with regard to the processing of personal data and on the free movement of such data. This Directive is also the basis of the legal regulations in force in Poland relating to the protection of personal data. It is also worth noting Article 16 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, which states that "Everyone has the right to the protection of personal data concerning him or her".
In Poland, the basic legal act that protects our personal data is the Constitution of the Republic of Poland. However, this issue is further detailed in the Act of 29 August 1997 on the Protection of Personal Data. [2]
It is therefore important to bear in mind how in the free world we are invigilated. We are not aware of who is collecting our data and for what purpose, nor do we fully know where it will end up and by whom it will be used. Indeed, we do not necessarily want the 'rest of the world' to know about all the issues that concern us." [1]
