Your Data Isn't Yours: Navigating the Murky World of Data Brokers

Most people have never done business with a data broker, and yet brokers know where they live, how old they are, who they live with and what they buy. That is the strange thing about the industry: it is built on information about people who are not its customers. In the last few years, lawmakers have started to respond. California has built a state-run deletion system. Other states have added opt-out rights and broker registries. Regulators have taken action against some companies. This guide explains how data brokers work in 2026, what is changing in the law, and what you can do to take control. For the basics, start with everything you need to know about data brokers.

1. What data brokers actually do

Data brokers collect, combine, analyze and sell information about individuals. They fall into several groups:

People-search sites. Publish searchable profiles with names, addresses, phone numbers and relatives.
Marketing data brokers. Sell lists and segments to advertisers, such as “new homeowners” or “frequent travelers”.
Risk and verification brokers. Provide data for identity verification, fraud detection and background screening.
Specialty brokers. Focus on areas such as health interests, financial status or location.

Many operate behind the scenes. You may never see their name, yet their data influences the ads you receive and the information strangers can find.

2. Where they get your data

Source	Examples
Public records	Property deeds, court filings, voter files, licenses
Commercial purchases	Retail transactions, loyalty programs, warranty cards
Online activity	Cookies, app trackers, device identifiers
Surveys and sweepstakes	Forms you fill out and sign-ups
Other brokers	Data purchased and resold
Breaches and leaks	Information that ends up in circulation

The same fact can travel through many brokers, which is why removing yourself from one place does not remove you everywhere. Our piece on how brokers track and sell your information in NYC shows how local data gets pulled into national databases.

3. The money behind it

The industry is large, but precise revenue figures vary widely by source. Estimates run into the tens of billions of dollars globally, and anyone quoting a single exact number is probably oversimplifying. What is clear is that data is an asset, and its value rises when it is combined. A name alone is cheap. A name linked to an address, income range, purchase behavior and phone number is worth far more.

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. Why this is risky for you

The Federal Trade Commission received about 3 million fraud reports in 2025, with roughly $15.9 billion in reported losses (ftc.gov). The FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center received 1,008,597 complaints, with $20.877 billion in reported losses (ic3.gov). Brokers are not the cause of every scam, but their data makes scams cheaper and more convincing. Profiles also create safety risks, because they can show where someone lives.

Governments buy data from brokers too. See does our government buy our private data from data brokers for the debate over that practice.

5. What is changing in the law

California Delete Act and DROP

California requires data brokers to register and, under the Delete Act, to honor deletion requests submitted through a central platform. The Delete Request and Opt-out Platform, known as DROP, opened to residents on January 1, 2026. Registered brokers had to begin processing requests on August 1, 2026, and must repeat the process every 45 days. Residents can access it at privacy.ca.gov/drop, and the California Privacy Protection Agency explains how it works.

Other states

A growing number of states have comprehensive privacy laws that give residents the right to know, delete and opt out of sale or targeted advertising. Some also require broker registration. The details differ, so check your state attorney general’s website for the current list.

Federal action

The Federal Trade Commission has taken action against companies that misused sensitive data, and it publishes guidance for consumers at consumer.ftc.gov. There is no single federal law covering all data brokers.

6. How to take control

Find out who has you

Search your name, address and phone number. Note every people-search site and broker that appears.

Use DROP if you live in California

Create a request at the state platform and let registered brokers process it. Repeat after confirming results.

Opt out of the biggest people-search sites

Verified pages include Spokeo, the PeopleConnect suppression center and That’s Them. Our guide to opting out of the most popular people search sites covers many more.

Use state rights elsewhere

If your state has a privacy law, send deletion and opt-out requests to brokers that process your data.

Stop marketing lists

Opt out of prescreened credit offers at 1-888-5-OPT-OUT and register at donotcall.gov.

Re-check

Set a reminder to search again every three months.

7. The limits of opt-outs

Opt-outs work, but they are not permanent. Brokers refresh data regularly, and a suppression list only helps if the broker respects it and receives the same identifying information. Some brokers are hard to find because they operate under many names. A service that tracks brokers, submits requests and monitors for returns is the practical answer for people who do not want to repeat the work forever. See the data broker cleanup guide.

8. Timeline: taking back control

When	Action
Day 1	Search yourself, list broker pages
Week 1	Opt out of top people-search sites, submit DROP if eligible
Week 3	Verify removals and resubmit failures
Month 3	Re-check and submit new requests
Every 45 days	If you use DROP, expect the repeat processing cycle

9. A closer look at how profiles are built

Brokers rarely rely on a single source. A typical profile starts with a skeleton from public records, such as a name, address and approximate age from property or voter files. Marketing data then adds household details, estimated income band, purchase categories and lifestyle tags. Online data adds device identifiers and browsing interests. Finally, identity-resolution software decides which records belong to the same person, even when names are spelled differently or addresses change. When the match is good, the profile is accurate and valuable. When it is wrong, it can attach someone else’s debts, criminal records or relatives to your name, which is one reason accuracy disputes are common.

This matching step explains why opt-outs sometimes fail. If you opt out using one email address and the broker holds the profile under a different spelling of your name, the system may not recognize the request as yours. Provide the details the form asks for, include variations of your name and check for duplicates after the first removal.

10. Who buys the data and why

Customers fall into several categories. Advertisers buy segments to target campaigns. Insurers and lenders may use certain data sets in permitted ways under regulated frameworks. Employers and landlords may use screening services that draw on different, more regulated sources. Investigators, collection agencies and journalists use people-search tools to locate individuals. Scammers use the cheapest versions of the same data. This mix explains why the same industry can produce both legitimate services and real risks: the data does not know who is using it.

11. Questions to ask when a broker contacts you

Occasionally you will receive an email or letter from a broker or from a company claiming to represent one. Treat it with care. Confirm that the sender is real by finding the company’s official site yourself, never use links in the message, and do not provide more personal information than necessary. If you are unsure, check whether the company appears in your state’s broker registry, which for California is maintained through the state privacy agency at cppa.ca.gov. You can report suspicious messages at reportfraud.ftc.gov.

12. How enforcement is evolving

Regulators are paying closer attention to data sales involving sensitive categories such as precise location and health information. Actions by federal and state agencies have focused on companies that sold data in ways that contradicted public promises or that failed to register as required. Expect more of this. For consumers, the practical consequence is that more brokers must publish contact points for requests, which makes opting out easier than it was a few years ago, even though the number of sites remains large.

13. Three scenarios and what to do

Scenario 1: You live in California. Submit through DROP, then handle people-search sites that fall outside its scope.

Scenario 2: You live in a state with a privacy law. Send deletion and opt-out requests to major brokers and keep records.

Scenario 3: You live in a state without a privacy law. Use voluntary opt-outs and consider a monitored removal service.

14. Myths and facts

Myth	Fact
Data brokers are illegal	Most operate legally under current law
I never gave them my data	They collect it from other sources
Opting out once is enough	Profiles can return
Only the rich are targeted	Everyone with a record is included
DROP covers every site	It covers registered brokers, not all publishers

15. Common mistakes

Opting out only of the first result.
Giving extra personal data to unfamiliar removal sites.
Not saving confirmations.
Assuming a state law covers you everywhere.
Ignoring relatives’ pages.

16. Questions to ask yourself

Which brokers matter most for my safety? Do I live in a state with deletion rights? How often am I willing to repeat this? Would a monitored service save me enough time to justify the cost? Honest answers make the decision straightforward.

17. How Wiperts fits

Wiperts tracks the broker landscape so you do not have to. It scans more than 100 data brokers and people-search sites, submits removal requests, removes personal results from Google and Bing, blurs your home on maps and monitors for returning profiles. The free diagnosis shows what brokers hold today.

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
Last Name
Select State
Email Address
Website

Scan Databases Now — no payment is needed to see your exposure report.

18. Key takeaways

Data brokers collect and sell information about people who are not their customers.
California’s DROP lets residents send one request to registered brokers, with processing from August 1, 2026 on a 45-day cycle.
Other states offer deletion and opt-out rights, and voluntary opt-outs exist everywhere.
Profiles return, so re-check or use a monitored service.

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

19. Frequently Asked Questions

What is a data broker?

A company that collects personal information from many sources and sells, licenses or publishes it, often without any direct relationship with the people it describes.

How do data brokers get my information?

From public records, purchases and loyalty programs, app and web tracking, surveys and warranty cards, and other brokers.

What is California DROP?

The Delete Request and Opt-out Platform lets California residents submit one deletion request to all registered data brokers. It opened January 1, 2026, and brokers began processing on August 1, 2026.

Is selling my data legal?

In most of the United States, yes, subject to a growing patchwork of state laws that require disclosure, opt-outs or deletion rights.

Can I opt out if I do not live in California?

Yes. Many brokers offer opt-outs to everyone, and several states give residents deletion and opt-out rights.

Why do profiles come back?

Brokers buy fresh data regularly, so a deleted profile can be rebuilt unless your information is suppressed.

Sources

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