Data is the currency. You are the mint.
Every search, purchase and place you go is tracked, given a price and sold.
You create that data, but you don’t get paid for it. 73% of Americans say they have little or no control over what companies do with their data, and 67% say they understand little or nothing about it.1 The data broker industry that buys and sells this information was worth an estimated $294 billion in 2025.2
73% of Americans say they have little or no control over the data companies collect about them (Pew Research Center, 2023).
More numbers
of Americans are concerned about how companies use the data they collect.1
understand little or nothing about what companies do with it, up from 59% in 2019.1
have little or no trust that social media leaders will admit mistakes over data misuse.1
The other side
Privacy laws are spreading across U.S. states, and people can now opt out of some data sales.
U.S. states have a comprehensive consumer privacy law in effect in 2026, up from one in 2020. IAPP tracker via PrivacyTerms ↗
of Americans who have heard of AI think companies using it will make life easier. Pew Research Center, 2023 ↗
Why Anthony still holds this view
Thirty states still have no comprehensive law, and the laws limit how data is used after it is collected, not whether it is collected.
For marketers
With 73% of Americans feeling they have no control, being clear about what you collect and what customers get in return is a selling point.
For you
Check which apps can see your location, and switch off the ones that don’t need it.