The digital footprints we leave behind seem to multiply exponentially these days. Just last week, while checking my credit report (something I do religiously every few months), I stumbled upon a disturbing revelation that made me pause my batch brew mid-sip.

It turns out that simply checking your credit report can trigger automatic updates to various data aggregators like White Pages. The implications of this seemingly innocuous connection between services are frankly terrifying. While we’re all busy trying to protect our privacy in obvious ways - declining cookies, using secure passwords, maybe even dabbling with VPNs - our data is being traded behind the scenes like footy cards at a primary school.