{"id":74663,"date":"2023-11-07T20:10:02","date_gmt":"2023-11-07T20:10:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/uncategorized\/2023\/11\/07\/troops-personal-data-can-be-purchased-for-pennies-researchers-find\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T15:29:35","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T15:29:35","slug":"troops-personal-data-can-be-purchased-for-pennies-researchers-find","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/your-navy\/2023\/11\/07\/troops-personal-data-can-be-purchased-for-pennies-researchers-find\/","title":{"rendered":"Troops\u2019 personal data can be purchased for pennies, researchers find"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Many probably already know that virtually every website frequented is collecting personal information and selling it to third parties<\/a> who turn it into targeted marketing. What might not be known is that this process is highly unregulated, and that bad actors are easily able to buy personal information and do with it what they will.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That can include exploitation that risks U.S. national security, according to a report published this month by Duke University. <\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt is\tnot difficult to\tobtain sensitive data<\/a> about active duty members of the military, their families, and veterans, including non-public, individually identified and sensitive data, such as health data, financial data and information about religious practices,\u201d according to the report.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Funded by the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, researchers spent a year exploring the kinds of data on service members and veterans that brokers are collecting and selling, and whether foreign adversaries could exploit any of that information.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Companies like software giant Oracle, or credit reporting bureaus Equifax, TransUnion and Experian all sell data, as do lesser known companies like Acxiom and Verisk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Researchers approached 12 different companies attempting to buy data sets compiled based on keywords like \u201cmilitary\u201d or \u201cveteran.\u201d Eventually, multiple troves of active duty service member data, and data on their families, were purchased for as little as $0.12 per file.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The team had varying experiences buying the data. Some brokers wanted to verify their identities, or wanted an explanation of what they intended to do with the data.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Others wanted the researchers to sign nondisclosure agreements preventing them from discussing with anyone how they got the data. Others just handed over the information with no conditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAll datasets that we purchased included individual, personally identifiable information on military\tpersonnel in the United States,\u201d including names and addresses, according to the report. \u201cNone of these datasets were anonymized nor aggregated, even when providing sensitive information (such as net worth, religion or health) and without verifying the purchaser\u2019s identity.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The unregulated nature of data brokering is one of the report\u2019s biggest concerns, in that there are no industry rules for how these transactions take place or for vetting the individuals purchasing the data.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIn short,\tan industry that builds and sells detailed profiles on Americans could be exploited by hostile actors to target military service members and veterans, as a subset of the U.S. population,\u201d according to the report. \u201cMany veterans often still know currently classified information, even if they are no longer active duty members of the military.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bad actors with a pile of active duty troops\u2019 personal information can contact members and exploit them for their military or national security knowledge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sextortion schemes are an example of such targeting, where someone posing as a potential sexual partner can goad a target into making a pornographic video, then threaten to post it online or send to family members if their demands are not met.<\/p>\n\n\n\t