What is a data collector?
Definition
A data collector is any website, app, advertiser or company that gathers information about you, such as what you browse, where you are and what you buy, and stores or uses it.
- Category
- Data
- Also called
- data collection, information collector
- Last updated
"Data collector" has no single legal meaning. In everyday use it covers anyone who gathers information about you: the website you visit, the app on your phone, the advertiser behind the banner, or a company you've never heard of that buys the result.
How data gets collected
The FTC describes the usual tools. Websites may use a cookie or pixel to recognize you after you leave. They may use device fingerprinting, which relies on your browser's unique settings to follow your activity. Phone apps may use a unique advertising identifier. Companies can also link your activity across devices, such as a laptop and a phone.
First-party and third-party collection
When a site you visit tracks you itself, that's first-party tracking. When it lets another company track you, that's third-party tracking. Third-party trackers can follow you across many sites, which is how a visit to a running blog leads to shoe ads on a news site.
Why companies do it
The FTC lists the reasons: to save your preferences and cart, to show personalized content, to gather analytics such as pages visited and time on site, to remember searches, and to show ads based on your browsing history or location.
Why it matters to you
One collector holding your browsing history is an annoyance. The problem starts when the data is sold or combined. Data brokers collect from many sources and join them into a profile that can include your address and phone number, which is why a lot of people end up on people-search sites without ever signing up.
How to protect yourself
- 1
Check your browser and phone privacy settings
Browser settings let you block sites from seeing your browsing history and decline location sharing. Phones have an advertising section in the privacy settings where you can opt out of personalized ads from the operating system maker.
- 2
Review app permissions
Go to your phone's privacy settings and see which apps can reach your location, contacts or photos. Turn off what an app doesn't need, or delete apps that ask for a lot.
- 3
Clear cookies and reset your advertising ID
Deleting cookies and history stops ads based on past activity. On your phone, delete or reset the identifiers used to track you.
- 4
Consider an ad blocker
Some ad blockers also block pixels and other trackers. The FTC notes they don't catch everything and don't protect against malware, so read reviews from reputable sources first.
- 5
Remove what brokers already hold
Opt-outs in your browser don't touch data that's already been sold. Serus finds the data brokers that operate where you live and removes you from them, then keeps watching.
See where your personal data is exposed
Serus finds it on data brokers and people-search sites and removes it.
Frequently asked
Is a data collector the same as a data broker?
No. A data collector is anyone who gathers information about you. A [data broker](https://www.serus.ai/glossary/data-broker/) is a company whose business is collecting data from many places and selling it on.
Does private browsing stop data collection?
No. The FTC says private browsing deletes your history after the session ends, but it doesn't stop websites from seeing your activity.
Can I opt out of personalized ads?
Yes. Your browser and phone both have settings for it. You'll still see ads, just not ones based on your browsing history.
Sources
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