Articles
In-depth, data-driven guides on personal data value, data brokers, privacy law, and legitimate ways to protect or monetize your information.
DataCash Score: How the Free Personal Data Payout Calculator Works
DataCash Score is a free calculator that estimates your annual personal data value across six categories and matches you to legitimate ways to get paid for it.
How Much Is Your Data Worth? A Category-by-Category DataCash Score Breakdown
A breakdown of how much each type of personal data — location, health, financial, social, browsing, demographic — is worth, using the DataCash Score model.
DataCash Score vs. Other Data Value Calculators: What's Different
A comparison of the free DataCash Score calculator against other online personal-data value calculators, and what makes its category-plus-payout approach different.
How Much Is Your Personal Data Worth in 2026?
A 2026 look at how much personal data is worth per person per year, based on ad-platform ARPU and data-broker pricing.
Can You Really Get Paid for Your Data? Legitimate Options Explained
A review of legitimate ways to get paid for your personal data in 2026, including survey panels, data co-ops, and rewards browser extensions.
What Is a Data Broker and How Do They Make Money From You?
An explanation of what data brokers are, how they collect and package personal data, and how they profit without a direct relationship with you.
How to Opt Out of Data Brokers: A Step-by-Step Guide
A step-by-step guide to opting out of data brokers, including manual removal requests and automated deletion services.
Data Broker Opt-Out Services Compared: DIY vs. Paid Removal
A comparison of manual, do-it-yourself data broker opt-out versus paid automated removal services, covering time cost, coverage, and ongoing maintenance.
What Personal Information Is Most Valuable to Advertisers?
A ranking of which types of personal data advertisers value most, from purchase intent signals to financial and health data.
How Much Does Meta (Facebook) Make From Your Data Each Year?
A look at Meta's average revenue per user in the US and globally, and what that implies about the value of a Facebook or Instagram user's data.
How Much Does Google Make From Your Searches Each Year?
An estimate of how much annual ad revenue Google earns per user based on its search advertising business and U.S. market share.
Paid Survey Panels That Actually Pay for Your Opinions and Data
An overview of how paid survey and opinion panels work, what they pay, and how to evaluate whether one is legitimate.
Market Research Panels Explained: How They Work and What They Pay
How market research panels source and pay consumers for opinion and behavioral data, and how the industry differs from data brokers.
Data Co-ops Explained: Pooling and Selling Your Data Collectively
An explanation of consumer data co-ops, how they pool member data for collective licensing, and realistic payout expectations.
Browser Extensions That Pay You for Browsing Data
How rewards-based browser extensions pay users for anonymized browsing data, and what to check before installing one.
Is Selling Your Personal Data Safe? Risks and Red Flags
A look at the real risks of participating in paid data programs, and the red flags that separate legitimate options from scams.
How to Protect Your Data While Still Making Money From It
A practical framework for participating in legitimate paid data programs while keeping your most sensitive information protected.
What Happens to Your Data After a Company Buys It?
A look at the lifecycle of personal data after it's purchased — from initial resale and enrichment to ad targeting and eventual deletion or breach.
The Difference Between First-Party and Third-Party Data
A clear explanation of first-party vs third-party personal data, why the distinction matters for privacy, and why advertisers are shifting toward first-party data.
How Much Is Your Health Data Worth to Insurers and Advertisers?
How health data is valued and used by insurers, advertisers, and data brokers, and why it commands a premium over other data categories.
How Much Is Your Location Data Worth?
How precise location history is valued and used by retail analytics, advertisers, and political targeting firms, and how new laws restrict its sale.
How Much Is Your Financial Data Worth to Banks and Fintechs?
How financial account activity and transaction data are valued and used by fintechs, advertisers, and data brokers, and why it's a premium category.
Data Privacy Laws in 2026: What They Mean for Selling Your Data
An overview of the major U.S. state data privacy and data broker laws in effect in 2026 and what they mean for consumers who want to protect or monetize their data.
GDPR vs. CCPA vs. New State Privacy Laws: A Plain-English Comparison
A plain-English comparison of the EU's GDPR, California's CCPA/CPRA, and the newer wave of U.S. state privacy laws.
How AI Companies Buy and License Data in 2026
How AI companies license content and data for model training in 2026, from institutional publisher deals to emerging consumer data co-ops.
Credential Stuffing and Data Breaches: How Stolen Data Gets Sold
An explanation of credential stuffing attacks, how breached data circulates on illicit markets, and practical steps to reduce your exposure.
How to Find Out What Data Companies Already Have on You
Practical ways to request and review what personal data companies and data brokers currently hold about you.
Data Dividends: Could You Get Paid Just for Being a Consumer?
An explanation of the data dividend concept — proposals and early programs that would pay consumers a share of the value generated from their data.
The True Cost of "Free" Apps: How They Monetize You
How free apps generate revenue from user data instead of subscription fees, and what that means for the true cost of using them.
How to Build a Long-Term Personal Data Monetization Strategy
A practical framework for deciding which categories of your personal data to monetize, which to protect, and how to build a sustainable long-term approach.