9 online privacy risks you probably don’t know about

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Online privacy risks are more widespread and hidden than most people realize. While you browse, stream, shop, or track your sleep, your personal data is quietly being collected, analyzed, and sold—often without your knowledge or permission. It’s not just your name and email that are at stake. Data brokers gather highly sensitive details about your health, habits, relationships, and routines to build detailed profiles that are sold to advertisers, insurance companies, political groups, and even cybercriminals. Here’s what you’re unknowingly sharing—and how to take back control.

 

 

 

9 personal details you are sharing online without realizing it

You may think you’re protecting your privacy, but chances are you’re revealing far more than you think through everyday digital activity. These online privacy risks show how your data can quietly expose you.

1) How sleep and fitness data is collected and sold

Fitness trackers, bedtime apps, and even your phone’s settings feed data brokers info about when you sleep, wake, and work out. That’s highly sensitive health data and one of the lesser-known online privacy risks.

A recent data leak exposed over 8 million patient records, allowing cybercriminals to build detailed medical profiles that could be used to commit identity theft, insurance fraud, and conduct phishing attacks. Recent research reveals that over 28% of Americans had their SSN breached since 2020, exposing them to increased risk of experiencing cyberattacks.

 

YOUR HEALTH DATA IS BEING SOLD WITHOUT YOUR CONSENT

 

2) Your streaming habits are being tracked

Every time you binge a show or stream a documentary, your smart devices track your behavior. This is another growing online privacy risk, as behavioral data is used for targeted advertising and even manipulation.

It’s not just used for harmless recommendations; advertisers and data brokers tap into this to predict your mood, interests, and even potential vulnerabilities. Ever wonder why oddly specific ads start showing up after a documentary binge? This is why.

 

3) How long you read articles can be used to profile you

Even your reading time is monitored. This subtle form of tracking contributes to larger online privacy risks, revealing your interests, fears, and vulnerabilities. Data brokers monitor whether you skim or dive deep into topics like health scares, financial worries, or personal relationships.

The time you spend on certain pages helps them identify your fears, desires, and private interests. This insight can later be used for hyper-targeted ads or, worse, by malicious actors looking to exploit your anxieties.

 

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4) How data brokers infer your relationship status

Data brokers can piece together your relationship status based on your behavior, just one of many online privacy risks most people never consider. You might keep your relationship off social media, but your online footprint gives you away. Your purchase history, social check-ins, and frequent location visits tell data brokers whether you’re single, dating, engaged, or married.

They can even infer relationship trouble by analyzing certain patterns, like increased visits to bars or late-night takeout orders. This deeply personal information can end up in a detailed profile on some sketchy website you’ve never heard about.

 

5) Your location data may reveal medical visits

Your phone’s location data doesn’t just map your commute; it tracks visits to places like fertility clinics, addiction centers, and therapists’ offices. That data gets sold to brokers who categorize you based on these visits, sometimes flagging you for health-related concerns you haven’t publicly shared.

One study found that 74% of health-related data was sold without users’ knowledge or consent. This information could be used to hike insurance rates, deny you payouts, or target you with sensitive, intrusive ads.

 

6) Home value and crime stats used to target you

Public records make it easy for data brokers to access your home’s value, tax history, and neighborhood crime rates. These are used to target you with aggressive refinancing offers, alarm system ads, or moving service promotions.

Scammers also use this data to profile households they think are vulnerable based on property values or crime rates. The result is an increased flood of junk mail, spam calls, targeted online ads you never asked for, or worse, like physical safety risks.

 

7) Data brokers know who you live with

By monitoring Wi-Fi connections, shared deliveries, smart home devices, and online purchase patterns, data brokers can determine exactly how many people live in your home. They often build profiles on your family members too—even if they’ve never created an online account themselves.

This allows advertisers to tailor ads to your household, making your family’s online activities part of your digital profile. It’s invasive, and most people have no idea it’s happening.

 

8) Your political views can be tracked through online behavior

Even if you keep politics off your social media feeds, your browsing history tells a different story. The news articles you read, political newsletters you subscribe to, and nonprofits you donate to all get tracked.

Data brokers use this to place you on lists of likely voters for certain parties or causes. This can lead to politically targeted ads, donation requests, and even manipulation attempts around election seasons, all without your explicit permission.

 

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9) Life milestones are tracked before you announce them

The internet picks up on your major life milestones long before you announce them. If you start browsing for engagement rings, baby gear, or moving boxes, data brokers immediately flag those behaviors.

This triggers waves of ads and marketing campaigns designed to capitalize on your upcoming life changes. In many cases, you’ll start seeing offers and promotions months before you tell your closest friends or family members.

 

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How to find out which data brokers have your information and remove it

While no service can completely erase every trace of your data online, using a trusted data removal service is one of the most effective steps you can take. These services actively monitor and submit removal requests to hundreds of data broker websites, saving you hours of tedious work. It is not cheap, but when it comes to protecting your personal privacy, the cost is worth it. Reducing the amount of exposed data tied to your name lowers your risk of being targeted by scammers who often combine breached data with what they find online. If you are ready to take control of your personal information, start with my top picks for data removal services.

A service like Incogni can help you remove all this personal information from the internet. It has a very clean interface and will scan 250+ websites for your information and remove it and keep it removed.

The longer you wait, the more data brokers spread your personal information online. I recommend Incogni to help you remove that data automatically (and they make sure it stays removed) without any effort on your part.

Exclusive Deal for CyberGuy Readers (60% off):  Incogni offers a 30-day money-back guarantee and then charges a special CyberGuy discount for all annual plans only through the links in this article for as low as $6.63/month for one person (billed annually) or $13.19/month for your family (up to 5 people) on their annual plan. This fully automated data removal service provides ongoing protection from 250+ data brokers, and if you choose the Unlimited plan, you can also request removals from specific sites where your personal information appears.

I recommend the family plan because it works out to only $2.31 per person per month (or $4.79 per person per month if you get the Unlimited plan) for powerful year-round privacy protection. It’s an excellent service, and well worth trying to see how much of your information is being exposed and how effectively it can be removed.

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Kurt’s key takeaways

Your online activity reveals more than you think, and you do not need to overshare on social media for your data to end up in the wrong hands. Everything from your location history to your streaming habits can be tracked, sold, and used to build a profile on you. That profile can be used by advertisers, data brokers, political groups, or even cybercriminals. The good news is that you can push back. Being aware of what you are sharing is the first step. Second, using a trusted data removal service can make a real difference. You do not need to be paranoid, but you do need to be proactive. Taking control of your digital footprint is one of the smartest things you can do to protect your privacy in today’s hyper-connected world.

Do you think more needs to be done to stop companies from being allowed to know everything about you while you’re left in the dark? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below. 

 

 

This article was created in partnership with Incogni

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