The number is dizzying. By consulting just ten of the most popular sites in France, the UFC-Que Choisir association reveals that the data collected in passing is shared… more than 4,000 times, and with more than 1,000 third parties. “Every day, consumers’ personal data are tracked, sold and used without their knowledge,” denounces the association in a press release published this Thursday, as part of European Data Protection Day.
The UFC-Que Choisir study highlights “the extent of the collection and sharing of data carried out by Web players, allowing consumer profiling and exposing them to real tracking for constant commercial purposes”, and which “encourage overconsumption”.
“Large purchaser of pregnancy tests”
Especially since the profiling is precise. The association cites the example of the Microsoft subsidiary specializing in advertising, which classifies consumers based on more than 650,000 personality traits, including: “receptive to emotional messages”, “money problems”, “addiction gambling”, “erectile dysfunction”, “depression”, “heavy purchaser of pregnancy tests”, “union sympathizer”, or even “opioid addiction”.
“If once trapped, consumers have the right in theory to request the erasure of their information, our study shows that, in fact, this is a mirage,” also writes UFC-Que Choisir in its press release, demanding websites and applications that collect data “real transparency on the use made of it”, and the guarantee for the consumer “access and control over the personal data that they have transmitted to third parties” .
The association recalls its free tool to find out what online platforms know about our personal data. An entire program.