Data broker opt-out (A – Z)

Data brokers are companies that collect, aggregate, and sell personal information to third parties such as marketers, insurance companies, government entities, and other data brokers. Data brokers get this information from various sources, including public records and companies that sell data.

Data brokers sell or otherwise monetize access to these profiles to other businesses, marketers, or organizations seeking to target specific audiences for advertising, marketing, research, or other purposes. Some data brokers, called people search sites, sell access to other individuals, often for a nominal fee.

Data brokers play a role in the digital ecosystem, shaping personalized marketing strategies and aiding in customer segmentation. However, concerns regarding privacy, consent, and the potential for misuse of sensitive information have raised many ethical questions surrounding the ways data brokers operate.

There are many different types of data brokers that specialize in different niches of data collection and sale. Some focus on consumer data, collecting information like demographics, purchasing habits, and online behavior. Others specialize in business data, providing details about companies, industry trends, and financial information.
Additionally, there are data brokers that deal with healthcare data, social media data, and even political data. Each type of data broker serves specific industries and purposes, catering to the needs of businesses seeking insights and targeted marketing opportunities in their respective domains.
These are the main categories of data brokers that are out there:
People search sites
Marketing data brokers
Risk mitigation data brokers
Financial data brokers
Recruitment data brokers.
People search sites are the data brokers that most people have knowingly come across. Search for your full name, address, phone number, or email address online and you will likely find multiple hits from websites that have extremely detailed profiles on you. Anyone can use these sites for any reason.
You probably will not see marketing data brokers showing up in a web search for your personal details. These data brokers prefer to work behind the scenes, helping companies create traditional and targeted advertising campaigns by selling them access to detailed consumer profiles.
Marketing data brokers are also responsible for a significant portion of the spam emails and texts, spam calls, robocalls, and similar nuisances you experience on a weekly or even daily basis.
Risk mitigation data brokers supply health and financial information to investors, financial institutions, and insurance companies. This data is used to manage risks associated with false declarations and fraud, but can also affect your insurance rates and ability to get approved for credit cards and loans.
Financial data brokers are the data brokers that, for example, your credit card company uses to assess your eligibility for various loans, lines of credit, and other financial products. They deal in some of the most sensitive personal information there is, like your Social Security number and credit history.
Finally, recruitment data brokers target recruiters and employers, selling them personal profiles that include your demographics, employment history, education history, and known business associates. Recruiters and employers can then use this information to assess your job application.

People search sites are a type of data broker. You will have to look up your name in any popular search engine and send individual opt-out requests to each people search site that comes up in the results. Our opt-out guides will help you remove your data from some of the biggest people search sites in the industry.

In order to remove your personal information from the internet and public data sources, you will have to opt out from data brokers, limit the information social media and other sites have access to, and use safety precautions such as using a VPN. Read our guide on removing your personal information from the internet for step-by-step instructions.

Want to learn how to make social media profiles more private? Check out these resources:
How to make Facebook private
How to make Twitter private
How to make Pinterest private
How to make Venmo private
How to make TikTok private
How to make Linkedin private

There is no free way to quickly and easily remove yourself from all background check websites. You will have to go through separate opt-out procedures for each site. You can make your job a lot easier, however, by using a data removal service like Incogni. We remove your personal data from dozens of these companies at a time.

Data brokers acquire consumer data by scraping the internet for publicly available information such as social media profiles and public registries or buying it from entities such as other
data brokers and credit card companies.

It’s difficult to say which data broker is the biggest as there are multiple variables such as revenue, area of coverage, and number of profiles kept. However, Experian is among the biggest and most prolific data brokers in the industry, with a revenue of over 6.6 Bn and covering 100+ countries.

There is no federal law in the US that regulates the data broker industry. However, there are state laws, such as the CCPA, that grant consumers certain rights, such as the right to view, amend, or remove their personal information from data broker databases.

Google is not a data broker. While Google does collect a lot of personal information, it doesn’t keep personal profiles that businesses can buy.

If a data broker has violated your consumer rights, you can sue them. Depending on where you live, you may be protected by laws such as the GDPR or the CCPA, which give you the right to remove your data. If a data broker doesn’t comply with your request, you can take legal action.

Data brokers collect and trade your personal data with other companies. Marketing and advertising are more effective when personalized, so businesses purchase your data from data brokers to tailor their offers to you.

Data brokers make money by selling people’s personal data. Data brokers and people search sites—put people at risk by publishing, trading, or selling personal information like names, contact details, court records, and more. Data brokers can sell information to people, businesses, or governments.

Data brokers can sell data to individuals, companies, governments, and other data brokers. From insurance companies to advertisers, almost any business or surveillance activity can be enhanced through access to individuals’ personal data. Data brokers have also been caught selling data to scammers.

To stop data brokers from using your email, follow these steps:
1) Search online for data brokers and see if they have your information.
2) Follow each broker’s opt-out steps, which usually involve filling out a form.
3) Regularly repeat this process, as your information might reappear on their sites.

Data brokers collect, share, and sell a wide range of personal information. This may include demographic details (age, sex, location), contact information (email, phone number), social media activity, browsing history, purchase history, financial information, educational background, professional history, and even sensitive data like health conditions and political affiliations.
The specific information collected and sold varies among data brokers, but it is typically aimed at providing businesses with exploitable insights into consumer behavior and preferences. These insights can be used for targeted marketing, advertising, and decision-making as well as invigilation, surveillance, and stalking.

The personal and sensitive information that data brokers collect can include:
– A person’s age and/or birthdate
– Full name
– Sex
– Personal details
– Contact details (email, phone number, postal address)
– Birth certificates
– Current and previous addresses
– Online shopping accounts
– Login credentials
– Court records
– Bankruptcy records
– Marriage licenses
– Marital status
– Voter registration information
– Criminal records
– Motor vehicle records
– Purchase history
– Education records
– Employment records
– Social Security number
– Assets (vehicles and properties)
– Purchase habits
– Interests and hobbies
– Political and religious affiliations
– Sexual orientation
– Sizing information
– Arrest records and mugshots
– Social media profiles
– Dating profiles
– Job-search profiles
– Device information
– Browser details
– Online activity
– Search history
– Credit history
– Credit score
– Family members
– Distant relatives
– Known associates.

Data brokers obtain personal information through a variety of methods, including tracking users’ online activities via cookies and other technologies, collecting data from publicly available sources such as government records and court documents, and purchasing data from other companies like social media platforms and e-commerce sites. They also gather information through online surveys and forms, often with user consent, though how informed that consent is remains debatable. Additionally, data brokers acquire information from offline sources, such as magazine subscriptions and public events, and form partnerships with other companies to exchange or purchase data. These practices vary among brokers and often involve legal and privacy considerations.

Yes, the vast majority of data brokers operate legally. The data broker industry is generally considered legal, although much of the data processing performed by data brokers is regulated by data privacy laws. The European Union (EU) has its General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), but the legislative situation in the US is not as rosy.
Unlike the EU, the US does not have an analogous federal data protection law in place. There are some state data privacy laws like the California Consumer Protection Act (CCPA) and Colorado Privacy Act (CPA), but none of the proposed federal laws have passed the legislative process to date.
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is one example of a federal agency that can sometimes intervene in cases where sensitive data is harvested and abused in particularly egregious ways. The FTC is not a substitute for a federal data protection law, though.

There are an estimated 4,000 data brokers in the world today, but most of these are small companies with a limited area of coverage. Some of the major players in the data broker industry include:
Epsilon Data Management, LLC – A data-driven marketing company that offers personalized marketing solutions based on consumer data and behavior.
Experian Information Solutions, Inc – One of the three major credit reporting agencies, Experian also provides consumer data analytics and marketing services to businesses.
Equifax, Inc – Another major credit reporting agency that collects and analyzes credit and financial data to provide credit reports and other financial services.
TransUnion – The third major credit reporting agency, TransUnion collects and analyzes consumer credit and financial data to provide credit reports and other financial services.
Acxiom, LLC – A data broker that specializes in collecting and analyzing consumer data to provide targeted advertising and marketing solutions.
CoreLogic, Inc – A data analytics and consulting firm that provides property information and analytics for the real estate, mortgage, and insurance industries.
Oracle data cloud – A division of Oracle Corporation that specializes in data-driven advertising and marketing solutions using their vast database of consumer information.
Datalogix – A data broker that collects consumer information from online and offline sources to create marketing solutions for advertisers.
Infogroup – A provider of business and consumer data, marketing analytics, and lead generation services for businesses.
IQVIA – A healthcare data analytics and consulting company that provides insights and solutions for the pharmaceutical and biotech industries.

While data brokers can make it difficult and confusing to opt out of data collection, they are required to provide the option and honor your request when you make one, depending on where you live. There are several laws and regulations around the world that protect your right to do so. 
Depending on where you live, you may be covered by one of the following data privacy laws:
General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR): EU countries and the UK 
Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA): Canada
California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA): California, USA
California Privacy Rights Act (CPRA): California, USA
Colorado Privacy Act (CPA): Colorado, USA (in effect July 1, 2023)
Connecticut Personal Data Privacy and Online Monitoring Act: Connecticut, USA
Maryland Online Consumer Protection Act: Maryland, USA
Massachusetts Data Privacy Law: Massachusetts, USA
New York Privacy Act: New York, USA
Virginia Consumer Data Protection Act (VCDPA): Virginia, USA
Aside from these, there are several other laws, regulations, and entities that may help protect your privacy rights such as the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) in the US. 

Yes, Incogni does offer a discount code for blog readers. Here is the latest one, valid until the end of the month: DataRemovalSep