Internet Data Trading Isn’t Just a Privacy Issue… It’s a Crisis
Every day, our personal data—shopping habits, location history, even searches—is bought and sold without our knowledge. In Australia, Reset Tech found that individuals’ location data is shared up to 450 times daily through real-time ad auctions. Consumer Reports also revealed how loyalty programs like those at Kroger collect shopper profiles and may punish lower-income individuals with worse offers—all without meaningful consent. Meanwhile, breaches continue to expose massive volumes of sensitive data: 2.9 billion records were leaked by National Public Data in 2024, including Social Security numbers and addresses.
This unregulated ecosystem is a ticking time bomb.
The Data Economy: A Trillion-Dollar Gamble Where Consumers Get Nothing
The global data monetization market is forecast to grow from around USD 3.2 billion in 2023 to over USD 16 billion by 2030—a CAGR exceeding 25%. Small and medium enterprises are projected to capture a major share of that growth, rising as fast as 29% per year. Yet in almost every case, businesses and platforms capture the upside. Consumers—the source—are left with zero oversight and no share of the wealth.
Public trust is eroding. In Deloitte’s 2023 Consumer Survey, 58% of consumers reported concern over device tracking and breaches, and only 34% believed companies were transparent about data use. Laws intended to help—like opt-out rights—are often ignored or unenforced. And rules proposed to regulate data brokers were quietly repealed, leaving consumers unprotected.
The internet economy isn’t failing—it’s failing us.
Preska Thomas Is Building the Antidote: DebitMyData
Enter Preska Thomas: a veteran strategist with three decades of mastery in cybersecurity, crisis mitigation, behavioral systems, and digital influence. She knows what external threats look like—and how invisible systems can fail sooner than you think.
Her creation—DebitMyData—is a bold response. Not a detox app, not another privacy wrapper, but a tri-party marketplace where:
- Users control exactly what digital data is shared.
- Transactions are transparent and blockchain-encrypted.
- Compensation flows back to the individual as data dividends.
It’s architectural, not cosmetic. Built to give users equity in their digital selves, not just token access.
Why the World Needs This Vision—Right Now
- Inflation is eating consumer savings. With rising costs and wage stagnation, people need alternate, ethical ways to supplement income. Data monetization can become a revenue stream.
- People deserve financial independence. DebitMyData turns passive browsing into active worth—a financial arena where your internet behavior becomes your balance sheet.
- Trust is hollow without control. Consumers express concern in record numbers—but without verifiable control over their data, trust remains fragile. DebitMyData codifies agency into the infrastructure.
“Data isn’t just currency—it’s identity equity. Your digital behavior reflects who you are—and it’s time it’s owned, not abandoned,” says Preska Thomas.
What Makes Preska’s Approach Unique—and Unprecedented
Preska’s Vision: A Future Where Data Is Human Capital
When people ask what comes after surveillance capitalism, Preska offers an answer: Data Dividend Economy—a digital architecture where:
- Consumers are paid.
- Privacy is proactive.
- Digital identity becomes financially visible.
Why This Story Matters—and Why You Should Pay Attention
- It surfaces a model where users literally get paid for their data.
- It challenges the narrative that privacy is enough—ownership is the future.
- It speaks to economic anxiety without resorting to fear—providing a practical solution to growing inflation and digital distrust.
