Study reveals software vendors collect excess business data via AI tools
moniquejmorrow · x · 2026-08-18
MarTech reports that some software vendors routinely collect more business data than needed and use it to build commercial products. Clark Barron, founder of Blackout, found through forensic analysis of marketing software that certain vendors embed "defeat devices" in their code to evade compliance audits. The code disables tracking when it detects analysis or auditing but continues collecting data under normal usage. The research warns that connecting AI assistants to CRM systems can grant external systems access to records and internal communications invisible to most employees.
Related event: Vendors Over-Collect Business Data to Monetize via AI, Research Finds(2 posts)→
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