Confessions of a Data Broker

Not long ago, data brokers—companies that compile databases of consumer information and then sell them to marketers—toiled in the shadows of media and advertising, seen as largely responsible for those piles of junk mail. Then along came the Internet and the ability to track consumer browsing behavior, enabling data brokers to synch online and offline data. Brokers became the new villain in the privacy debate, subject to investigations by policy makers.