# What Is a Data Broker? How They Get Your Info and How to Stop Them

A data broker is a company that collects, aggregates, and sells personal information about individuals, often without their knowledge or explicit consent.

If you have ever wondered how a stranger can find your home address, phone number, email, or the names of your relatives with a simple Google search, the answer is almost always: a data broker put it there.

TL;DR: Key Takeaways

Data brokers collect personal data from public records, social media, purchase histories, and app usage.

They sell this data to marketers, background check companies, recruiters, and sometimes scammers.

You have legal rights under CCPA, GDPR, and other laws to demand they delete your data.

There are over 4,000 registered data brokers in the United States alone.

How Data Brokers Get Your Information

Data brokers do not hack into your accounts. They collect information from sources that are either publicly available or voluntarily shared.

Public records: Voter registration files, property records, court filings, business registrations, and marriage or divorce records are all public in most US states. Brokers scrape these records systematically.

Purchase histories: When you buy something online, your transaction data (what you bought, how much you paid, your shipping address) is often shared with third-party "data enrichment" firms.

App and website tracking: Free apps frequently sell usage data to brokers. Location data from weather apps, fitness trackers, and casual games is a major source.

Social media scraping: LinkedIn profiles, public Facebook posts, and Twitter bios are harvested and cross-referenced with other data sources to build detailed profiles.

Marketing and loyalty programs: Sweepstakes entries, store loyalty cards, and warranty registrations all feed the broker ecosystem.

What Do Data Brokers Do With Your Data?

Once collected, your data is packaged and sold to a range of buyers:

**Marketers and advertisers:** Your purchase history and browsing habits help companies target ads.

**Background check companies:** Sites like [BeenVerified](/beenverified-opt-out) and Instant Checkmate purchase broker data to build consumer reports.

**Recruiters and HR firms:** B2B brokers like Apollo.io and ZoomInfo sell your work email and job title to salespeople and recruiters.

**Insurance companies:** Some brokers sell health and lifestyle data that can influence insurance premiums.

**Scammers and bad actors:** While brokers do not intentionally sell to criminals, the data they publish is freely accessible. People-search sites like [Whitepages](/remove-data-from-whitepages) and [Spokeo](/spokeo-opt-out) allow anyone to look up your address and phone number.

The Scale of the Problem

The data brokerage industry generates an estimated $250 billion per year globally. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has identified over 4,000 data brokers operating in the US.

The largest brokers include:

**Acxiom** (now LiveRamp): Holds data on over 2.5 billion consumers worldwide.

**Experian / Equifax / TransUnion:** The credit bureaus also operate as data brokers through their marketing divisions.

**Oracle Data Cloud:** Aggregates billions of purchase transactions annually.

**People-search sites:** [Whitepages](/remove-data-from-whitepages), [Spokeo](/spokeo-opt-out), [TruePeopleSearch](/truepeoplesearch-removal), [Radaris](/radaris-opt-out), and hundreds more that publish your personal info for free or a small fee.

For a comprehensive list, see our [Data Broker Directory](/directory) with 200+ brokers and their opt-out instructions.

Your Legal Rights

You are not powerless. Several laws give you the right to demand deletion:

**CCPA (California Consumer Privacy Act):** If you are a California resident (or the broker does business in California), you can demand deletion and opt out of the sale of your data.

**GDPR (EU General Data Protection Regulation):** EU residents have the "Right to Erasure" under Article 17.

**VCDPA (Virginia):** Virginia's privacy law provides similar deletion rights.

**State-level laws:** Colorado, Connecticut, Utah, and several other states have enacted data privacy laws since 2023.

Even if you are not in a covered jurisdiction, most major brokers will honor removal requests to avoid legal complexity.

How to Remove Your Data from Data Brokers

You have two approaches:

1. Manual opt-out (free, time-consuming):

Visit each broker's website, find their privacy policy or "Do Not Sell My Info" page, and submit a removal request. Expect to spend 15-20 minutes per broker. With 200+ brokers, this can take days.

2. Use a removal tool (faster):

[OfflistMe](/start) generates legally compliant CCPA/GDPR removal emails for 200+ data brokers. You select the brokers, and the email opens in your inbox, pre-filled with the correct legal language, recipient addresses, and subject lines. You just hit send.

Unlike subscription services that charge $100+/year, OfflistMe's basic plan is free. No account required. No ID upload. No data stored.

The Bottom Line

Data brokers profit from your personal information. They did not ask for your permission, and they count on you not knowing they exist.

Now you know. The next step is to take action.

[See which brokers have your data →](/scan)

What Is a Data Broker? How They Get Your Info and How to Stop Them