#EU#Germany#DataProtection#DataLeaks#Privacy#DataBrokers: "The document lists more than 60 names and is publicly available on the site of a data broker. Most of those names are said to belong to German citizens. Their date of birth, passport number and expiration date is also listed. Such data is considered particularly sensitive because it can be used for identity theft. Selling and publishing it online is a disaster from a data protection perspective.
The list was uploaded to the site of a data broker in the EU, that allows others to buy or sell data. We are not naming the site here because the list is still online. The document listing more than 60 names is apparently a free sample. Interested parties can use such samples to get an impression of the data – before buying more of it. The data broker makes money from each sale: according to its own information, it keeps part of the sales price as a fee.
netzpolitik.org was able to identify several people on the list. They live in Bavaria or Lower Saxony and confirm that their data and ID numbers are genuine. Some were shocked to learn their data was public. One person tells us on the phone: „Data protection, you often hear about it. But it’s a different feeling when you see your own data openly on the Internet.“"
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