The Data Brokers Selling Your Personal Information in 2026

In an age where digital footprints are as common as physical ones, many assume that tech giants like Facebook and Google are the primary custodians of our online personal information. Fewer realize that a quieter industry holds some of the most detailed profiles of all: data brokers. They rarely have a relationship with you, yet they know your addresses, phone numbers, relatives and likely interests. This guide explains who they are, how they work and how to take your information back in 2026.

1. What a data broker is

A data broker collects personal information from multiple sources, cleans and links it, adds inferences and sells or licenses the result. Some focus on marketing lists. Some sell identity verification and fraud-prevention data. Some operate people-search websites that publish profiles to anyone. Some provide background-check data to employers and landlords, which is regulated by the Fair Credit Reporting Act in many cases.

The Federal Trade Commission has studied the industry and published reports describing how brokers gather and sell consumer information; see ftc.gov. Our overview, everything you need to know about data brokers, covers the basics, and who are the biggest data brokers names major players.

2. Types of data brokers

Type	What they sell	Typical buyers
People-search sites	Names, addresses, phone numbers, relatives	The public, investigators, scammers
Marketing data brokers	Lists by interest, income range, household	Advertisers, retailers
Identity and fraud data providers	Identity verification and risk scores	Banks, platforms
Background screening companies	Employment, tenant and criminal records	Employers, landlords
Location and device data brokers	Movement and device data	Advertisers, analytics firms
Health and lifestyle data brokers	Inferred interests and conditions	Marketers, researchers
Credit bureaus	Credit reports and header data	Lenders, insurers, employers

3. What they know about you

Typical broker profiles can include:

Full name, aliases and age or birth year.
Current and past addresses.
Phone numbers and email addresses.
Relatives and associates.
Property ownership and value.
Estimated income and net worth ranges.
Education, employment and professional licenses.
Purchase interests and lifestyle categories.
Vehicle ownership.
Court and public record filings.
Device and location data in some products.

Some of this is accurate, some is outdated and some is wrong. Errors can cause trouble when profiles are used for screening. See data brokers are selling your personal information.

Curious what’s already out there? Wiperts’ 100% Free Diagnosis shows which data brokers are listing your name, home address and phone number. Check your exposure free — it takes about a minute.

4. How they get your data

Public records. Property, court, voter and licensing records.

Commercial sources. Retailers, warranty registrations, loyalty programs, publishers and surveys.

Online activity. Cookies, device identifiers and app data shared by advertising networks.

Other brokers. Brokers swap and buy from each other, which spreads errors.

Breaches and leaks. Some data derived from leaks ends up in commercial products.

You and your contacts. Sign-ups, contests and contact uploads from friends.

Read how is your data being collected.

5. Who buys the data, and why it matters

Marketers buy it to target ads. Lenders and insurers may use it for marketing and risk models. Employers and landlords use screening reports. Journalists and investigators use it for research. But scammers, stalkers and harassers can buy or browse the same listings. The FTC reported $15.9 billion in fraud losses in 2025, and personalized details are central to many scams. Government agencies also buy commercial data in some cases; see does our government buy our private data from data brokers.

6. What changed in 2026

State registries. California, Vermont, Texas and Oregon require data brokers to register, creating public lists you can use to identify companies to contact.

California DROP. The Delete Request and Opt-out Platform at privacy.ca.gov/drop opened January 1, 2026. California residents can submit one verified request to all registered brokers, which began processing requests on August 1, 2026 and must repeat the process on a recurring basis.

Enforcement. In August 2026, the people-search site Radaris was seized and transferred to Atlas Data Privacy Corp. This shows that enforcement can reach large operators, though it also means you should verify that your records are actually removed.

Search engine tools. Google expanded Results about you in February 2026 to include government ID numbers.

State privacy laws. About twenty states now give residents rights to access, delete and opt out of sale and sharing.

7. How to opt out, step by step

Search yourself. Use a private browser window and search your name with your city and state. Open the main people-search sites and check each.
List the listings. Record URLs, screenshots and dates.
Use official opt-out pages. Common starting points are spokeo.com/optout, suppression.peopleconnect.us (Intelius, TruthFinder and affiliated brands) and thatsthem.com/optout. For more sites, read how to opt out of the most popular people-search sites.
Use your state’s law. Send access and deletion requests to brokers listed in your state’s registry.
Use DROP if you live in California.
Ask Google and Bing to remove results that show your contact details.
Recheck every 60 to 90 days. Records return.

Our data broker cleanup guide provides a checklist you can print.

8. Common obstacles

Hard-to-find forms. Some brokers hide opt-out links. Search “[broker name] opt out” and use the official domain.

ID requests. Some ask for ID. Provide the minimum, redact unrelated information and use a dedicated email address.

Slow processing. Allow days to several weeks, and follow up.

Relisting. Expect it. Automate the rechecks or schedule reminders.

Fake removal sites. Some sites charge for free forms. Use official pages and report deceptive services at reportfraud.ftc.gov.

9. Protecting yourself while you clean up

Freeze your credit; see IdentityTheft.gov and consumer.ftc.gov. Use unique passwords and MFA. Be alert to calls and texts that use your personal details, and verify through official channels. Report fraud at ReportFraud.ftc.gov and internet crime at ic3.gov.

10. A worked example

Tasha searches her name and finds her address, age and relatives on twelve sites. She opts out of the biggest six in one evening, sends deletion requests to two marketing brokers in her state registry and asks Google to remove three results. Within a month, ten of twelve listings are gone. At her 60-day recheck she finds a relisting on a lesser-known site and removes it in minutes. She also stops filling out sweepstakes forms.

11. Myths about data brokers

“Only big tech sells data.” Thousands of smaller companies do. “Brokers are illegal.” In most cases they are lawful but increasingly regulated. “Opting out once is enough.” Records return. “I can’t remove myself.” You can remove most listings.

12. Credit bureaus, screening reports and your rights

Not every company that sells personal data is unregulated. Consumer reporting agencies, including the three national credit bureaus and background screening firms, are covered by the Fair Credit Reporting Act when their reports are used for credit, employment, insurance or housing decisions. That law gives you the right to see your report, dispute errors, and in many cases to be told when a report was used against you. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau at consumerfinance.gov explains how to dispute inaccurate information, and the Federal Trade Commission at consumer.ftc.gov lists the official channel for free credit reports. By contrast, marketing and people-search data typically falls outside those protections, which is why opt-outs and state privacy laws matter so much for those products.

13. How to talk to a broker when it does not respond

If a broker ignores or rejects a valid request, document your attempt and escalate. Send a short written follow-up that cites the date and method of your first request, the confirmation number and the legal basis, such as your state’s privacy law. If the company still does not act, file a complaint with your state attorney general, whose office enforces privacy statutes, and with the Federal Trade Commission at reportfraud.ftc.gov. In California, you can also report problems with a registered broker to the state privacy agency through privacy.ca.gov. Persistence works more often than people expect, because brokers know that regulators have taken enforcement action against companies that ignore consumer requests.

14. Reading the broker registries

State registries are a useful, free research tool. Each lists company names, websites, contact details and often a short description of the data they collect and whether they allow opt-outs. Use the registry in your state to build a list of brokers, then prioritize those that publish consumer profiles or sell to marketers. Compare entries across California, Vermont, Texas and Oregon to find companies that appear in more than one. Registered brokers have legal duties to respond to requests, so a registry entry is a lever as well as a list.

15. Three scenarios

Scenario 1: You live in California. Use DROP and then handle brokers not covered.

Scenario 2: You live in a state without a privacy law. Use opt-out forms, which most brokers apply nationally.

Scenario 3: You are being harassed. Prioritize listings that show your address, then recheck frequently.

16. What to expect: a realistic timeline

Action	Time to do	When it takes effect
Searching and listing	1 to 2 hours	Immediate
Opt-outs for major sites	3 to 6 hours	Days to 4 weeks
State-law requests	1 to 2 hours	Often within 45 days
California DROP	20 minutes	Processed on brokers’ schedule
Rechecks	15 to 30 minutes	Every 60 to 90 days

17. Common mistakes

Opting out of only a few sites.
Using your main email for opt-outs.
Paying for free forms.
Assuming removal is permanent.
Ignoring family members’ listings.

18. How Wiperts helps with data brokers

Wiperts scans more than 100 data brokers and people-search sites, submits removal requests, asks Google and Bing to remove personal results, blurs your home on maps and monitors 24/7 so relisted data is removed again.

See which brokers are selling your information.

100% Free Diagnosis: Check Your Exposure

Find out what data brokers have on you. Enter your details in the free scanner on the Wiperts homepage:

First Name
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Email Address
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19. Key takeaways

Data brokers collect, combine and sell personal data to many buyers.
Registries, state laws, DROP and opt-out forms give you tools to respond.
Expect relisting and recheck every 60 to 90 days.
Protect yourself with freezes and MFA during cleanup.

Pick the Wiperts plan that fits your household

Plan	Covers	One-time deep scrub	Then
Individual	1 person	$89	$14/month
Couples (most popular)	2 people	$149	$24/month
Family	Up to 4 people	$199	$39/month

Every plan includes removal of your name, date of birth, salary, home address and phone number from 100+ data brokers and people-search sites, Google and Bing search-result removal, home blurring on maps, and 24/7 monitoring that re-removes your data if it reappears. See plans and start your removal

20. Frequently Asked Questions

What is a data broker?

A data broker is a company that collects personal information from many sources, combines it into profiles and sells or licenses it to others, including marketers, lenders, investigators and people-search sites.

Where do brokers get my data?

From public records, retailers and loyalty programs, surveys and sweepstakes, apps and devices, data breaches and other brokers.

Can I see what a broker has on me?

Many brokers let you search for your listing, and in states with privacy laws you can request access to the data a company holds about you.

How do I get removed?

Use each broker’s opt-out page, send state-law deletion requests, use California DROP if you live there and recheck every 60 to 90 days.

Is it legal for brokers to sell my information?

In most of the United States yes, subject to sector rules and growing state laws. Several states require brokers to register and honor deletion and opt-out requests.

Why do I reappear after opting out?

Brokers refresh from sources that still contain your data, and a new record can be created. Regular rechecks are needed.

Sources

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