Core Evidence Findings (Answer-First Summary)
543 profiles document a positive identity-document observation within a sample of 545. A positive observation can be conditional; 498 remain UNKNOWN, so this is not a universal mandate or provider outcome.
The captured dataset does not currently contain a complete, source-backed denominator for profile-URL requirements. The field remains UNKNOWN rather than being inferred from broker category.
981 profiles have a source-backed YES observation for a direct email workflow. DNS reachability alone does not establish mailbox ownership, legal entitlement, or request success.
Frequently Asked Questions & Evidence-Bounded Answers
Q: Do people-search data brokers require photo ID to remove information?
The captured evidence does not support a universal yes/no answer for all people-search providers. Check the current provider workflow; UNKNOWN means the requirement was not documented, not that no ID can ever be requested.
Q: What does this snapshot show about common opt-out barriers?
The most defensible answer is source-specific: the captured snapshot has 1,043 UNKNOWN CAPTCHA observations and 1,043 UNKNOWN email-confirmation observations. No prevalence rate is published where the denominator is incomplete.
Q: How long does data removal take across different broker categories?
No universal turnaround average is published by this snapshot. Provider-stated timelines and legal response periods must be read for the specific jurisdiction, controller, request, and applicable exceptions.
Documented Submission and Verification Observations (N = 1,043)
Data brokers use different request channels, and some records separately document identity-verification steps. The table counts only source-backed workflow observations in the captured catalog; it does not measure acceptance, completion, or removal success.
| Observation | Audited Entities | Recorded Share (% Universe) | Friction Rating | Methodology Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Interactive Web Form / Portal | 794 | 76.1% | Not scored | Source-backed workflow observation; reachability is separate. |
| Direct Email / mailto: Suppression | 981 | 94.1% | Not scored | A documented email channel is not proof of delivery or response. |
| Phone verification observation | 4 | 0.4% | Not scored | Only explicit source-backed phone, SMS, or telephone verification observations are counted; a contact channel alone is not treated as verification. |
| Postal-mail pathway observation | 492 | 47.2% | Not scored | A documented postal channel is not necessarily postal-only, notarized, or mandatory. |
Catalog Difficulty Snapshot by Industry Category
Groups the catalog's recorded 1.0–5.0 difficulty labels by industry category. These are editorial evidence fields, not an independently measured effort, success, or removal-outcome score.
Download Removal Friction Evidence Snapshot Dataset
Machine-readable JSON and CSV datasets containing captured coverage metrics, documented channel observations, denominator boundaries, and TriState values. License and reuse terms are stated in the dataset documentation.
OfflistMe Privacy Intelligence Lab. (2026). Data Broker Opt-Out Friction & Identity-Verification Evidence Snapshot (Version 2026.08) [Data set]. OfflistMe. https://www.offlist.me/data-broker-opt-out-friction-studyMethodology & Reproducibility Protocol
All metrics presented in this snapshot are derived using a deterministic TriState workflow-observation system. Observations are classified strictly into YES, NO, or UNKNOWN states. Unverified fields are never treated as negative evidence; they remain transparently reported as UNKNOWN.
Independent researchers can verify these calculations by cloning the OfflistMe repository and executing npm test and npx tsx -e "import { getRemovalFrictionBenchmark } from './lib/privacyIntelligence'; console.log(getRemovalFrictionBenchmark());".
Related Canonical Research Assets
Who Owns the Data Broker Industry?
Evidence-backed parent relationships where the captured corpus records them.
Data Broker Research Standard
4-Tier provenance hierarchy and evidence saturation formulas.
State Registry Discrepancy Matrix
Cross-registry analysis of California CPPA and Vermont SOS.