nowfound

Life & fun · March 12, 2014

A browser extension I made appeared on 60 Minutes

"Data brokers" have increasing access to Americans’ personal info -- a multibillion-dollar industry that the government fears invades privacy

A browser extension I made appeared on 60 Minutes launched on March 12, 2014 with 33 votes and more than 75% of that year's launches. The site was still online in September 2026, 12 years on.

Visit cbsnews.com ↗Alternatives

In plain words

A browser extension that addresses data broker privacy concerns, this tool emerged from a 60 Minutes investigation into companies that collect and sell Americans' personal information. Data brokers have grown into a multibillion-dollar industry, gathering vast amounts of personal data for various purposes while most consumers remain unaware these companies exist. The extension helps users understand and potentially limit their exposure to this largely unregulated practice, which has attracted increasing scrutiny from government regulators and lawmakers concerned about consumer privacy protection.

written from the facts on this page · September 2026

From the sources

Every day, the personal information of millions of Americans is being gathered and sold by companies most people don't even know exist. These "data brokers" have existed for decades, but have grown in strength, size, and invasiveness as a result of huge strides in the amounts of data that can be gathered, stored and used for many purposes. Steve Kroft delves into the mission and methods of the data brokers, which are now drawing the attention of lawmakers and government regulators worried about the privacy of American consumers. His story will be broadcast on 60 Minutes Sunday, March 9 at 7 p.m. ET/PT. There are thousands of data brokers, Kroft reports, sifting through government records,…from cbsnews.com

Does a similar job

all alternatives →
  • Privacy.com2016 · privacy.com · ▲1,134

    Get a new virtual card for every transaction

  • Optery2021 · optery.com · ▲171

    See the private info data brokers post about you online

  • What every browser knows about you2016 · webkay.robinlinus.com · ▲553

    This is a demonstration of all the data your browser knows about you. All this data can be accessed by any website without asking you for any permission.

  • EW
    Explore what the browser exposes about youNov 2025 · neberej.github.io · ▲275

    I built a tool that reveals the data your browser exposes automatically every time you visit a website. GitHub: https://github.com/neberej/exposedbydefault Demo: https://neberej.github.io/exposedbydefault/ Note: No data is sent anywhere. Everything runs in your browser.

  • Data Dividend Project2020 · datadividendproject.com · ▲266

    Our data is our property. Take back control over your data.

  • Optery – See the private info data brokers are posting about you online2021 · optery.com · ▲111

    If you sign up for Optery (free), we show you where your information is being sold and exposed online at 200+ people search sites such as TruthFinder, MyLife, Radaris, SocialCatfish, Spokeo, and WhitePages. People’s jaws usually drop when they realize how much of their personal information is openly

More life & fun this month

the category →

Source: Show HN post ↗

Launched alongside, March 2014

the whole month →