They Own You Now. It's Over.

Overview

The video condemns data brokers as a “shadow industry” that harvests people’s online and offline habits, packages personal information, and sells it to entities including advertisers, insurance companies, and law enforcement. It cites FBI statements indicating law enforcement uses broker-supplied data for surveillance purposes.

The video contrasts the current system’s opt-out difficulty—requiring contact with hundreds of companies, completing forms, and still often seeing data reappear—with a more hopeful development: state-level policies that either profit from or curb data brokerage.

Key issue: brokers may demand extra sensitive info to delete records

The presenter highlights an example where Locate/LocateSmart allegedly required the last four digits of a person’s Social Security number to process a deletion request. The video argues this can turn “opt-out” efforts into another step of extraction—potentially for verification purposes, or for profit.

The main “duality” in state policy

The video frames two competing approaches:

New Jersey: licensing that enables monetization

Under Assembly Bill 5328, the state created a licensing system allowing data brokers to legally collect, hoard, and sell residents’ personal data in exchange for annual fees (up to $1.5 million). The presenter argues this effectively turns government into a partner in surveillance by monetizing it.

California: a state-run “single button” opt-out model

Through the Delete Act, California created a state-run opt-out platform called DROP (Delete Request and Opt Out platform). The video claims it functions like a “single button,” where a request triggers legally required deletion by all registered brokers every 45 days, along with cash penalties for noncompliance.

The video further cites penalties for brokers that failed to register or meet their obligations, presenting this as a citizen-protecting model.

Call for broader policy changes

The presenter argues that:

• States should copy California’s model, or the federal government should require a nationwide version.
• Instead of licensing data broker schemes that benefit state budgets, the goal should be a universal “kill switch” for broker data.
• Penalties should be stronger not only for failing to delete data, but also for possessing and profiting from private information, including data obtained via hacks or illegal sources—contending that others currently “get a pass.”

Practical guidance and resources

The presenter says they compiled non-sponsored resources for removing personal data and encourages California viewers to use:

• https://privacy.ca.gov/drop (to force broker deletion)

They also urge viewers to share the message and support anti–mass surveillance efforts via the creator’s merch and linked resources.

Presenters / contributors

• The main video presenter (unnamed in the provided subtitles; referenced as “I,” with occasional mentions of “Mrs. LM” and “Loyal Moses” for links/merch).
• Mrs. LM (briefly mentioned; appears to be involved in assisting during filming).