Erasing Your Digital Footprint with Jeff Jockisch

Easy Prey

3 days ago

“Virtually anything that you do that is digital dust, they’ll vacuum up. If they’re not getting it directly, they’ll buy it from somebody who does.” - Jeff Jockisch Share on X

Data is continuously being collected and this information can lead to misleading conclusions about an individual. Without proper context, behavior can be misinterpreted. This underscores the need for data privacy laws and stronger protections against data brokers.

Today’s guest is Jeff Jockisch. Jeff is a passionate data privacy researcher dedicated to exploring the evolution of technology, our search behaviors, trust dynamics, and safeguarding of our information. As Managing Partner at ObscureIQ, he specializes in advanced data removal and privacy risk mitigation for enterprises and government organizations.

“In addition to deleting your digital footprint, you have to stop leaking the data. You have to change your behavior.” - Jeff Jockisch Share on X

Show Notes:

[0:58] – Jeff describes his career and what he does in the field at ObscureIQ.
[3:35] – Instead of taking his career into the compliance field, he took his expertise to the intersection of data privacy and data science.
[4:40] – Jeff explains what a data broker does and breaks down a recent data breach.
[5:40] – The legal definition of what a data broker is is very narrow.
[6:42] – The data that is collected by data brokers can literally be anything, like health care data, drivers licenses, and viewing habits online.
[7:32] – One of the worst types of data that is collected is cell phone location data.
[8:46] – Data tells a story, but pieces might be missing. Data can paint an inaccurate picture of someone.
[10:18] – Data can be interpreted in different ways.
[12:41] – Your digital footprint can be deleted. But in addition to deleting it, your behavior needs to change.
[13:50] – Apps track data automatically for ads.
[16:31] – All of these companies are collecting our data, but they’re not securing it.
[19:42] – What can someone do with collected data? The possibilities are endless.
[21:38] – Data that is collected can also show other people who are connected to you.
[23:10] – Some things can be deleted, including public records.
[25:09] – The problem is that the data brokers are massively powerful.
[27:15] – Check out the links below for resources that Jeff recommends on the steps to take in order to delete the data you are leaking.
[29:57] – Jeff shares an experience of almost being a victim of a scam.
[33:10] – Scammers sound totally reasonable in the moment, even when we reflect and feel stupid for making a decision.

“There are hundreds of organizations out there. It is really hard to get a handle on them because there is nobody tracking them.” - Jeff Jockisch Share on X

Thanks for joining us on Easy Prey. Be sure to subscribe to our podcast on iTunes and leave a nice review.

Erasing Your Digital Footprint with Jeff Jockisch

Show Notes:

Links and Resources:

Transcript: