What Is a Data Broker, and Why Does It Have Your Address?
Data brokers quietly assemble profiles from public records, purchases and apps, then sell them. Here is how the industry works and what you can do about it.
Breach alerts tell you that a service you used lost data that included your email address and, often, a password or other details.
Do this today
- Change the password on the breached service, and anywhere you reused it.
- Turn on two-factor authentication, preferably with an app or security key.
- Use a password manager so every site has a unique password.
- Be extra careful with emails that mention the breached company.
Keep watching
Breach monitoring checks your addresses regularly and alerts you to new incidents, so you can respond before anyone misuses the data.