Creepy Credit Bureaus
How credit reporting agencies profit by violating digital privacy
A credit score is essential for anyone applying for a loan and is often used in decisions about renting an apartment and even for getting a job.
In short, what a credit bureau does with the information it has about you can have a big impact on your life and the way you interact financially.
The consumer protection attorneys at Finn Law Group report on how the arenas of big data and credit reporting intersect — creating a “surveillance economy” that can have a big (and negative) impact on consumers.
Here’s how they describe the threat:
To keep their data fresh, companies are constantly appending consumer records with “predictive” data that is generated by computer “black box” models. This often includes things like a consumer’s likelihood of getting divorced, their health status, and even how likely they are to engage in risky behavior. Predictive data is often used to target ads and marketing materials, but it can also be used to make…
