The apps that help you cash in on your personal data

Every day we all hand over vast amounts of personal data to big business. Why not make a bit of money yourself from the deal?

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Mark Zuckerberg: he has profited handsomely from your data
(Image credit: 2018 Getty Images)

Not so very long ago, a great many of us were happy to give away details of almost every aspect of our lives in return for some admittedly excellent and convenient free online services, the ability to keep up with friends and family, and access to the internet's vast archive of cat pictures. Then came Cambridge Analytica's abuse of Facebook's vast trove of personal information. People were suddenly made aware of just how much data they were giving away, often without realising it. Soon after that, the EU's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) came into force, which further reinforced the notion that our data is a valuable and sensitive resource, and that we should perhaps guard our digital privacy a little more jealously.

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Ben Judge

Ben studied modern languages at London University's Queen Mary College. After dabbling unhappily in local government finance for a while, he went to work for The Scotsman newspaper in Edinburgh. The launch of the paper's website, scotsman.com, in the early years of the dotcom craze, saw Ben move online to manage the Business and Motors channels before becoming deputy editor with responsibility for all aspects of online production for The Scotsman, Scotland on Sunday and the Edinburgh Evening News websites, along with the papers' Edinburgh Festivals website.

Ben joined MoneyWeek as website editor in 2008, just as the Great Financial Crisis was brewing. He has written extensively for the website and magazine, with a particular emphasis on alternative finance and fintech, including blockchain and bitcoin. 

As an early adopter of bitcoin, Ben bought when the price was under $200, but went on to spend it all on foolish fripperies.