From Cookies to Data Brokers: Paul Mander on the Future of Privacy

Episode Summary

What started as “better browsing experiences” has become a multi-billion-dollar data broker industry. Paul Mander joins to expose how your personal info gets collected, sold, and weaponized—and what can be done about it. 00:00 Intro – Data as the fuel of AI & advertising 01:00 Paul’s career path from telecom to adtech pioneer 02:30 BlueKai, cookies, and selling data to Google 05:00 The evolution of cookies: personalization vs. privacy 08:00 When anonymized data stopped being anonymous 11:00 GDPR and the shift in privacy awareness 15:00 Why the EU acted and the US lagged behind 20:00 CCPA, apathy, and the “I have nothing to hide” myth 23:00 Data brokers explained: from ZoomInfo to Spokeo 27:00 What kind of data is out there—and how it’s misused 31:00 Real-world harms: doxing, identity theft, even violence 35:00 How quickly your new address ends up online 41:00 Why it’s nearly impossible to scrub your own data 45:00 OptOut requests, obstacles, and shady broker tactics 52:00 How automation and AI fight back against brokers 59:00 Continuous scanning and removal at scale 01:05:00 Why employee data is the weakest corporate link 01:09:00 Playing offense against phishing & social engineering 01:15:00 Optery’s enterprise approach and proof-based removals 01:20:00 The future of privacy and empowering consumers 01:22:00 Closing thoughts & how to get started with Optery