Online credit calculators have long been a great success. But if you want to receive realistic information in it, you inevitably have to enter a lot of personal data – and thus pull a long data trail through the Internet.
Data against data – credit calculator as a recipe for success
They are comfortable to serve and deliver to dozens of institutes within seconds: digital loan calculators have been an important choice for financing needs between cell phone and dream house for years and increasingly companies. Already in 2018 reported the Consumer center in one studythat 80 percent of the online comparison portals surveyed would prefer-far ahead of the websites of the individual banks. An important reason for this success is the fundamental principle of the online credit calculator behind it:
Entering different personal data generates tailor -made offers. These sometimes arise from direct interfaces of the computer to corresponding partner banks.
This is comfortable for the customer: in principle, he does not have to enter anything else than would be necessary for a personal banking date. However, he can fully carry out the loan comparison to his conditions and repeat them with different values as often as you like.
At the same time, he usually receives offers of several banks-and has the option of many credit computers to get to an online application process if you are as popular.
The challenge here: the necessary data is very intimate. Often the operators point out that they do not serve for the immediate calculation, but are stored and evaluated.
In addition, the data records are necessarily linked to other sources. As a result, it is often not understandable at first glance which way the data takes – and who will ultimately have access to it.
Big data in the background – much more than just numbers
In the financial sector, Big Data mainly stands for enormous diversity of data. Approximately:
The entry into the credit calculator, by collecting third-party information (such as information) as well as data from the end device used by cookies and similar techniques, this creates an extensive, heterogeneous “data cloud”.
This can be analyzed, merged and used for a wide variety of purposes. In fact, there are very few other online services in which interested parties have to reveal such comprehensive and intimate information in order to take advantage of the service.
From the provider’s point of view – and partly the user – this collection and processing of extensive data is important and necessary:
- Individualized and therefore realistic
- Improved risk assessment and thus – minimization for banks.
- Protection against fraud, DDOS and similar digital attacks.
The difficulty arises from the fact that this data – at least theoretically – can not only be used for the intended purpose.
Data protection risks for consumers
You might just want to compare miniredites to get a new washing machine. As a rule, however, there are no less information for the loan calculator as if it were a loan of several hundred thousand euros for a property.
Precisely because the information for credit calculators is so detailed and inevitably has to flow through various databases, several dangers arise from a consumer perspective:
In particular, because it is hardly feasible for individual consumers to recognize and correctly evaluate these risks in individual credit computers in all details, play trust and some basic measures of self -protection here.
This is how users can protect themselves
All of the dangers mentioned are known- and are addressed by corresponding laws across Germany and EU. These range from the GDPR to the E-Privacy directive to special protection obligations for particularly sensitive data such as financial information. Knowing this is a central basis that builds on self -protection. Because different actions are derived from this. The following should be considered universally valid:
- Safe environment
Use of online credit computers only in a safe (domestic) network, in an “anonymous” browser mode, with HTTPS connection and only the technically necessary cookies.
- Trustworthy provider
Exclusive use of service providers based in Germany or Europe and well -known service providers Credit calculation Stand and are subject to local laws.
- Check data protection declaration
Even if it is complex: read through the data protection declaration before use (tip: summarize it by a AI and have it explained in simple language) and pay attention to data transfer.
- Minimal data price
Only provide mandatory information and are not unnecessarily precise. The net income, for example, does not have to be “2,386.45 euros”, but can be rounded to “2,400 euros” – only in the actual credit application process is required.
- Regular control
Make regular use of your own information on the relevant information in order to identify and delete unwanted entries.
Conclusion: Comfort and security can collide with online credit computers
Online credit calculators are practical, very comfortable tools that accelerate, simplify and make it more transparent. Due to the necessary data records and the possibilities of big data, these tools are becoming more efficient, but also more invasive.
In particular, because very explosive data is necessary for use – and often not without providing personal contact information – at least theoretical risks arise. Consumers should definitely counter this in advance through data protection -driven behavior.
However, it is necessary not only to see the comfort, but also the potential dangers.
01.09.2025
