An investigation by the NGO Digital Rights has detected 27 active spaces on Telegram dedicated to the illegal buying and selling of personal data. The identified channels and groups operate in Brazil, Peru, and Argentina and show how this type of activity is no longer limited to hidden internet environments, but circulates on widely used platforms.
Open channels for trafficking with sensitive information
The investigation focuses on Telegram spaces where personal information obtained illicitly is offered and commercialized. Among the methods of obtaining are database leaks, scraping techniques, and hacks, mechanisms that feed a clandestine market with individuals' data.
The investigation concludes that the illegal buying and selling of personal data is available on Telegram channels, a channel that facilitates access to this type of material contrary to the idea that it can only be found on the dark web. The finding points to a growing exposure of sensitive information in much more accessible digital environments.
A market increasingly accessible
The spaces located in Brazil, Peru, and Argentina allow for the illegal buying and selling of personal data. That scenario also reflects that people's sensitive information is increasingly easier to find on the internet, fueling risks for the privacy and security of those affected.
The investigation indicates that the origin of the commercialized data is found in illicit accesses and in the massive extraction of information. Leaks, scraping, and hacks thus sustain an illegal offer that moves on messaging channels and that expands the scope of this type of practices outside the circuits traditionally associated with cybercrime.