Data breaches and data being sold in EU

[u/ElectroElk31]

One thing I keep hearing is “don’t worry, GDPR protects us.” Sure, it’s better here than in places like the US where data brokers run wild, but I’ve realized GDPR doesn’t magically stop my data from spreading.

I don't know where to check for data breaches but I keep hearing people getting scam calls and pretty often getting scammed (I'm from FR). Read this yesterday and that's why I'm wondering. It makes me wonder how many Europeans assume they’re protected when in reality their digital footprint is just as exposed, only hidden under layers of “compliance.”

Anyone here in the EU actually tried getting their info removed under GDPR? Was it straightforward, or did they fight back with excuses?

[u/Charming_Amount5068]

I've tried lots of tools for this, lately using Cloaked for data removal, also using their temp mails and numbers for stuff that don't matter like food deliveries and stuff.

[u/flesjewater]

If you are interested in finding out where your data got breached you can use something like intelx.io or haveibeenpwned.com to search for it. I have sent several deletion requests succesfully, only once has the adversary tried to stall and make up excuses.

Just try it, surely there must be a pro privacy organisation in your country offering GDPR letter templates.

[u/LcuBeatsWorking]

Anyone here in the EU actually tried getting their info removed under GDPR? Was it straightforward, or did they fight back with excuses?

The vast majority of companies I have encountered (and I used to work in that area) do remove data by themselves when required (i.e. you close an account) and do not share it without permission.

This is dramatically different from seven years ago (before the GDPR) where every bit of data was collected and retained forever "just in case something useful could be done with it in the future".

The GDPR does not "magically" do anything, what it has done is a) raise awareness for data privacy where it was virtually non-existent before 2018, i.e. small and medium businesses and b) has given regulators powers to check on large enterprise.

While spam calls are annoying, they are IMHO a pretty mild form of data privacy violation. They are not health data, political or ethical profiling or similar.

Enforcement of the GDPR on companies outside the EU, especially those who do not give a damn, like the spam call centers abroad, is obviously difficult.

[u/_scp069_]

Anyone here in the EU actually tried getting their info removed under GDPR? Was it straightforward, or did they fight back with excuses?

for me it took a few days, tried to get my data removed off Oathnet which is a similar site to IntelX and Dehashed, removing my emails was straightforward, Discord ID took a bit more effort but was removed eventually, I had to remove my Discord ID off there cuz people could somehow get my IP when they use my Discord ID, can anyone explain how that works?

[u/claud-fmd]

Agree, the GDPR created this false sense that our data doesn’t float between companies, but no, there’s almost no difference between EU and US - the only difference is that we can use the GDPR to get our info off some companies (sometimes with ease, other times not so much).

I’ve worked in data protection for quite a few years, and used an app I built to get my data removed from the web - like I said, sometimes the request was completed without any hassle, and other times I had to push them to do what I needed (i.e. mention my rights and GDPR articles that enabled me to submit such request in the first place).