How can data brokers infer sexuality?

General
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I want to keep my sexuality private and avoid being added to any lists of likely LGBT people that might be compiled by advertisers, data brokers, or the government. I’m living in the US with my partner, and I’m just trying to be cautious given the current climate.

I want to make a comprehensive list of types of information that could be gathered about me that might infer my sexuality. I’m thinking stuff like:

  • Medical records
  • Search and browsing history
  • Location data (who I spend time with, where I go, etc.)

But I’m sure there’s more. I’d really appreciate it if anyone could chime in with any obvious security gaps I might be overlooking, or even some creative and unexpected ways data brokers might infer this information.

Any input is greatly appreciated.

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So I used to work for an adtech company that did some of this, just to serve ads, a lot of it is inferred from your online activity.

So anything you type into a text box on a website can be used against you, so if you email handle is “Zayn.Rainbow@grindr.com” maybe someone would guess your sexuality.

Also content you view, so if you are viewing “Out” magazine and out has google and Meta trackers on that site then you will probably get put in a pool of users that are assumed to be queer. Also Netflix or someone might be sharing that you watch RuPaul’s drag race or something.

Said differently, in ad tech most of it is guessed from limited data, so if your trackable behavior online “looks queer” you might be assumed to be.

To fight this you can use some of the tools recommended here, fake emails, a VPN and an ad blocker are a good place to start. If you live in a country that is hostile to LGBTQ+ then be extra careful.

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Your face.

The system was eventually able to distinguish between gay and straight men 81 percent of the time, and 74 percent of the time for women, just by reviewing a photo. When it was shown five images of the same person, accuracy levels went up to 91 percent for men and 83 percent for women. By contrast, a human was only able to identify sexual orientation 61 percent of the time for men and 54 percent for women.

AI has gaydar, too.

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Another vector is your attention. When you watch social media or advertising content containing attractive people, how long and how often you watch provides plenty of data. TikTok is famously quick to learn people’s preferences. So much so that some young people have anecdotally reported that TikTok seemed to identify their sexuality even before they themselves awakened to it.

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