datenkraken

See also: Datenkraken

English

Etymology

Borrowed from German Datenkraken, plural of Datenkrake, itself a compound of Daten (“data”) and Krake (“octopus”), invoking an imagery of such a company being an octopus having its virtual "tentacles" deeply penetrating its users' online habits.

Noun

datenkraken pl (plural only)

1. (derogatory) Internet-oriented companies that have a large number of users and possess detailed personal information on them, presumably without their consent.
   • 2014, Juliette Garside, The Guardian., Europe gears up to fight back against giant US beasts of the internet‎^[1]:

     It is a narrative that has cast the American datenkraken as the arch enemy.