Privacy Glossary
Source-linked, plain-language definitions of terms used in privacy law, data-broker opt-out processes, and personal-security practices. Updated August 26, 2026.
1
192.com
A UK people-search and business-directory service whose public help materials describe removal routes for specific listings.
192.com is a UK people-search and business-directory service. Its public help materials describe records and removal routes that can involve electoral, company, and telephone-directory information, but the exact scope depends on the record and product. The provider gives online and postal processing estimates; those are not guarantees for source updates, search-engine refreshes, or future reappearance. Review the listing, save the request evidence, and separately consider the GOV.UK open-register route.
Source: 192.com (privacy & removal policy)
See also: Open Electoral Register, People-Search Site, Data Broker
A
Authorized Agent
A third party authorized by a consumer to make privacy requests on their behalf, as recognised under CCPA and similar state laws.
Under CCPA and some other privacy laws, an eligible consumer may designate an authorized agent to make a request on their behalf. The business may require proof of authorization and may verify the consumer, subject to the applicable law. A provider-managed subscription may use an agent or another authorization model; check its current terms. A first-party request can avoid appointing an agent but still may require provider verification.
See also: First-Party Request
Automated Decision-Making
Decisions made solely by algorithmic processing, without meaningful human involvement, that have significant effects on an individual.
Automated decision-making refers to decisions produced entirely by algorithms that materially affect an individual's employment, credit, insurance, housing, healthcare, or similar. Under GDPR Article 22, individuals have a right not to be subject to solely automated decisions (with exceptions). Minnesota's MCDPA provides rights related to certain profiling and automated decisions. California's ADMT regulations were adopted in 2025 and took effect January 1, 2026; businesses using ADMT to make significant decisions must comply with the ADMT requirements beginning January 1, 2027.
See also: Profiling
Address Confidentiality Program
A state-administered program that lets qualifying individuals use a substitute address for government records and mail.
An Address Confidentiality Program (ACP) lets qualifying individuals use a substitute address administered by a state, often with confidential mail forwarding. Eligibility, covered threats or professions, application evidence, participating agencies, and the records protected vary by jurisdiction; consult the current state program rather than assuming an ACP covers every government record or every person.
See also: Daniel's Law
Auskunftssperre
A German residents'-registry information block under §51 Bundesmeldegesetz for cases where disclosure could endanger a person or protected interest.
An Auskunftssperre is a registry-information block under §51 of Germany's Bundesmeldegesetz (BMG). When the authority grants it, disclosure of registered address information is restricted where disclosure could endanger life, health, freedom, or a similar protected interest. Eligibility, evidence, duration, renewal, and local application steps follow the current statute and authority decision; do not reduce the process to a universal two-year rule. For ordinary purpose-specific disclosures, a separate Übermittlungssperre may be relevant.
Source: §51 Bundesmeldegesetz (gesetze-im-internet)
See also: Übermittlungssperre, Melderegister, Address Confidentiality Program
B
Biometric Data
Measurements of physiological or behavioural characteristics used to identify an individual, including fingerprints, face geometry, voiceprints, and retina scans.
Biometric data includes both physiological identifiers (fingerprints, face geometry, iris/retina, DNA, voiceprint) and behavioural identifiers (gait, keystroke dynamics). Illinois's BIPA specifically protects biometric identifiers and information, provides a private right of action, and sets statutory-damages provisions for qualifying violations. Texas, Washington, and several other states also regulate biometric data. GDPR treats biometric data used to uniquely identify a person as a special category under Article 9, subject to its conditions and exceptions.
See also: Sensitive Personal Information, BIPA
BIPA
Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act, a biometric-data law with a private right of action and statutory-damages provisions.
Illinois's Biometric Information Privacy Act (740 ILCS 14, 2008) requires written informed consent before collecting biometric identifiers and grants a private right of action for violations. Section 20 provides liquidated damages of $1,000 or actual damages, whichever is greater, for a negligent violation and $5,000 or actual damages, whichever is greater, for an intentional or reckless violation, along with other relief authorized by the statute. BIPA has produced large settlements, but any reported amount and scope should be checked against the operative court order or settlement materials.
See also: Biometric Data, Private Right of Action
Bloctel
France's former national do-not-call register; the Bloctel opposition system ended on 11 August 2026 under a new prior-consent framework for covered commercial telephone prospecting.
Bloctel was France's national telemarketing opt-out register. The official service states that the opposition system ended on 11 August 2026 under the law of 30 June 2025, after which covered commercial telephone prospecting generally requires prior explicit, clear, specific, and revocable consent, subject to the new rules and exceptions. A GDPR objection to direct marketing remains a separate right whose conditions and response rules should be checked under the applicable regime.
Source: Bloctel: end of the opposition system
See also: Liste Rouge, Do Not Call Register (Australia), Opt-Out
BRP Geheimhouding
A Dutch confidentiality request that stops your municipality from sharing your residents-database details with certain third parties.
The BRP (Basisregistratie Personen) is the Dutch municipal residents' database. You cannot opt out of being registered, your gemeente (municipality) is legally obliged to record you, but you can request "geheimhouding" (confidentiality), which blocks the municipality from sharing your data with non-obligated third parties such as churches, sports associations, and other non-government bodies. Government bodies that are legally entitled to the data still receive it. Geheimhouding is the standard Dutch step for limiting downstream sharing of your registered details and is paired with KvK address shielding for residents who also run a business.
Source: Autoriteit Persoonsgegevens: privacy rights and the BRP
See also: KvK Address Shielding (Afschermen), Suppression List, Public Records
C
CCPA
California Consumer Privacy Act, the first comprehensive US state privacy law, granting California residents rights to know, delete, and opt out of the sale of their personal information.
The California Consumer Privacy Act (Cal. Civ. Code § 1798.100 et seq.), effective January 2020 and amended by the CPRA (effective January 2023), gives eligible California consumers rights that can include access, deletion, correction, and opting out of sale or sharing, subject to business scope, verification, exemptions, and other limits. The applicable response rule and extension process should be checked in the current statute and CPPA guidance for the request at issue. The CPPA and California Attorney General have enforcement roles.
Source: California Civil Code § 1798.100
See also: CPRA, GDPR, Data Subject Request (DSR), CCPA Delete Act
CPRA
California Privacy Rights Act, the 2020 voter-approved amendment to CCPA that created the California Privacy Protection Agency and added new consumer rights.
The California Privacy Rights Act (Prop 24, 2020) amended the CCPA effective January 2023. It added the right to correct inaccurate information, the right to limit the use of sensitive personal information, expanded the definition of "sale" to include "sharing," and created the California Privacy Protection Agency (CPPA) as an independent enforcement body. "CCPA/CPRA" is the combined current-state citation used in most legal and regulatory contexts.
See also: CCPA, Sensitive Personal Information
CCPA Delete Act
California SB 362 requires the California Privacy Protection Agency to build a deletion mechanism that sends one request to active data brokers covered by California law.
The California Data Broker Delete Act (SB 362, signed October 2023) requires the California Privacy Protection Agency to provide an accessible deletion mechanism. The CPPA's DROP process lets a California resident submit a single verifiable request directed to active data brokers covered by the mechanism, subject to non-exempt data, matching, verification, and other statutory or regulatory limits. Check the live CPPA consumer and broker instructions for status and timing.
Source: California Data Broker Delete Act statute
See also: CCPA, Data Broker, DROP (Delete Request and Opt-out Platform)
Cure Period
A statutory grace period during which a business may remedy a privacy-law violation before enforcement action.
Some US state privacy laws include or included a cure period during which a business may remedy an alleged violation before specified enforcement steps. Cure periods, sunset dates, notice rules, and available enforcement vary by state; California, Colorado, and Connecticut have changed or sunset their general cure provisions, while other states retain different rules. Check the current statute and regulator guidance before relying on a cure period or assuming an agency must give notice first.
See also: Private Right of Action
Controller
The entity that determines the purposes and means of processing personal data, as defined in GDPR and many US state privacy laws.
Under GDPR and many US state privacy laws (VCDPA, CPA, CTDPA, OCPA, TDPSA, NJDPA, etc.), a "controller" is the entity that determines why and how personal data is processed. Controllers bear the primary compliance burden. The counterpart is a "processor" (GDPR) or "service provider" or "contractor" (CCPA), which processes data on behalf of the controller. A data broker may act as a controller for some processing and a processor or service provider for another; the role depends on the relationship, purposes, means, and applicable law.
See also: Processor
CPPA
California Privacy Protection Agency, the independent agency created by CPRA to enforce California privacy law and administer the Data Broker Registry.
The California Privacy Protection Agency (CPPA) is the independent California privacy regulator. It has CCPA/CPRA enforcement and administration roles, administers the California Data Broker Registry, and operates the DROP mechanism created by the Delete Act. A DROP request, a data-broker opt-out, and a complaint to the CPPA or Attorney General are different routes with different scopes; use the current agency guidance to choose the route for the issue.
Source: California Privacy Protection Agency
See also: CCPA, Data Broker Registry, CCPA Delete Act, DROP (Delete Request and Opt-out Platform)
Credit Header Data
A term for identifying fields associated with a credit file, such as names, addresses, and other identifiers; FCRA treatment depends on the report, purpose, provider, and applicable law.
Credit-header data is a term used for identifying fields associated with a credit file, such as names, former names, addresses, and other identifiers. Whether a particular field or use is subject to the Fair Credit Reporting Act depends on the provider's activity, the report's purpose, permissible purpose, and statutory definitions; the label "credit header" does not by itself establish that data is outside FCRA or freely available for sale. Check the current consumer-reporting rules and the provider's role before relying on a deletion or dispute route.
See also: Consumer Reporting Agency (CRA), Skip Tracing, Data Broker
Consumer Reporting Agency (CRA)
An entity that assembles consumer information into reports used for credit, employment, housing, or insurance decisions, regulated under the FCRA.
A consumer reporting agency (CRA) is an entity that regularly assembles or evaluates consumer information into consumer reports for the purposes covered by the Fair Credit Reporting Act. The nationwide credit bureaus are CRAs, and some background-screening providers may also qualify depending on their practices and report uses. FCRA can provide file-access, dispute, and use-related rights, but a provider's marketing label or disclaimer does not alone settle whether the statute applies.
See also: Credit Header Data, Data Broker
D
Data Broker
A company that collects personal information about consumers and sells, licenses, or shares that information with third parties.
A data broker aggregates personal information from public records, online activity, commercial transactions, and other sources, then sells, licenses, or shares that information. Major categories include people-search sites (Whitepages, Spokeo), background-check providers (BeenVerified, Intelius), B2B data providers (ZoomInfo, Apollo), and marketing-data aggregators (Acxiom, Epsilon). California, Vermont, Texas, and Oregon maintain public data-broker registries.
Source: California Data Broker Registry
See also: People-Search Site, CCPA, CCPA Delete Act
Data Subject Request (DSR)
A formal request from a consumer to a business to access, correct, delete, or port their personal data.
A data subject request (DSR) is a formal mechanism by which a person exercises rights under a privacy law. Under GDPR these are often called data subject access requests (DSARs); under CCPA they may be verifiable consumer requests. The requester generally identifies the request type and provides enough information for a lawful match, while the business may apply verification, exemptions, extensions, and other limits. Response deadlines vary by jurisdiction, request, and applicable law.
See also: CCPA, GDPR, Data Subject Access Request (DSAR)
Data Subject Access Request (DSAR)
The GDPR term for a request by an individual to obtain a copy of the personal data an organization holds about them.
A data subject access request (DSAR) is the GDPR-specific form of a data subject request focused on access, the right to obtain confirmation that your data is being processed and a copy of it, along with information about its purpose, recipients, and retention. Controllers must usually respond within one month (extendable to three for complex requests) and generally cannot charge a fee. In US state law the rough equivalent is the CCPA "right to know." DSAR is often the first step before a deletion request, because it reveals what an organization actually holds.
See also: Data Subject Request (DSR), Right of Access, GDPR
Daniel's Law
A shorthand often used for privacy and public-record protections designed to reduce address exposure for covered judges, prosecutors, law-enforcement personnel, and other eligible people.
Daniel's Law commonly refers to New Jersey's targeted judicial-safety protections and, informally, to similar protections in other jurisdictions. Eligibility, covered information, request routes, deadlines, exemptions, and enforcement are jurisdiction-specific; a state or federal rule should not be treated as a universal data-broker deletion right. The federal Daniel Anderl Judicial Security and Privacy Act is a separate federal protection for covered federal judges and certain family members. Verify the current official text and eligibility before relying on any deadline or remedy.
See also: Data Broker, SWATting, Doxxing
DROP (Delete Request and Opt-out Platform)
California's state-run platform that lets a resident send one deletion request to active data brokers covered by California law.
DROP (Delete Request and Opt-out Platform) is the California Privacy Protection Agency's mechanism for the Delete Act. The CPPA says California residents can submit a single request, while active data brokers covered by the mechanism must access DROP at least once every 45 days and process requests within the required timeline beginning August 1, 2026. Scope, verification, matching, non-exempt data, and exceptions still matter; DROP is not proof that every public record or downstream copy will disappear.
Source: California Privacy Protection Agency, DROP
See also: CCPA Delete Act, Data Broker Registry, CPPA
Data Broker Registry
A state-maintained public list of registered data brokers and their registration details.
Data broker registries exist in several jurisdictions, including California, Vermont, Texas, and Oregon, with different definitions, filing rules, and update schedules. California's CPPA registry includes registration and disclosure information and is used with the Delete Act's DROP mechanism. Use the relevant regulator's live registry and guidance rather than treating a static count or one jurisdiction's definition as global coverage.
Source: California CPPA Data Broker Registry
See also: Data Broker, CCPA Delete Act
Data Breach
An incident involving unauthorised access to or acquisition, use, or disclosure of personal information that may trigger legal duties; definitions vary.
A data breach is an unauthorised acquisition, access, use, or disclosure of personal information. All 50 US states have breach-notification statutes, but the covered data, harm thresholds, recipients, and deadlines differ; some deadlines run from discovery while others use a different trigger. Under GDPR, a controller generally must notify the supervisory authority within 72 hours of becoming aware of a notifiable breach, unless an exception applies. Some breaches trigger a private right of action; the CCPA provides a limited private action for certain breaches involving nonencrypted and nonredacted personal information.
Digital Footprint
The trail of data an individual generates through online activity, public records, and commercial transactions.
A digital footprint is the aggregate of data that identifies, locates, or profiles an individual, collected through browsing, purchases, social media, court filings, property records, employment records, and other sources. Reducing your digital footprint is the practical goal of data-broker opt-out, social-media hygiene, and cautious use of online services.
See also: Data Broker, Opt-Out
Doxxing
The act of publicly revealing personally identifying information about an individual, typically without consent and often as part of a harassment campaign.
Doxxing (sometimes spelled "doxing") is the public release of personally identifying information, such as a home address, phone number, employer, or family details, often in a way that can facilitate harassment, intimidation, or physical confrontation. Some states and jurisdictions have enacted anti-doxxing offences or targeted protections, but the elements and remedies vary. Data-broker cleanup can reduce one source of information used in doxxing campaigns.
See also: Data Broker, Daniel's Law, SWATting
Data Minimization
The principle that a business should collect, process, and retain only the personal data necessary for its specified purpose.
Data minimization is enshrined in GDPR Article 5(1)(c) and adopted in varying forms across US state privacy laws. Maryland's MODPA uses a "reasonably necessary and proportionate" standard for specified processing; apply the current text and exceptions to the facts. Minimization can reduce the amount of personal data retained, but the glossary does not treat it as a universal enforcement prediction.
See also: GDPR, CPRA, Purpose Limitation
Data Broker Registration
A statutory requirement that data brokers register with the state, disclosing identity, data categories, and contact information.
California, Texas, Vermont, and Oregon have data-broker registration requirements, with different definitions, filing rules, and update schedules. California's CPPA maintains a public registry and connects it to the Delete Act's DROP mechanism. Registration details can include business identity, contact information, and data-category disclosures; the exact fields and penalties depend on the jurisdiction and current rules. Use the relevant regulator's live registry rather than a static broker count.
See also: Data Broker Registry
Data Enrichment
Augmenting a record you already have (like an email) with additional attributes purchased or inferred from other sources.
Data enrichment (or "data append") adds fields to a record, such as a phone number, address, age, estimated income, household attributes, or interests, using information purchased, licensed, or inferred from other sources. Brokers and marketing platforms may offer enrichment as an API or batch service. The added fields may be probabilistic or outdated and can increase the detail of a profile, which is one reason data minimization matters.
See also: Identity Resolution, Data Broker, Profiling
Device Fingerprinting
Identifying a device by the unique combination of its settings and characteristics, without cookies or a stored ID.
Device fingerprinting combines attributes a browser or device reveals, such as screen characteristics, time zone, operating-system details, language, and graphics features, to estimate whether requests may come from the same device. The resulting signal can be distinctive, but its stability and accuracy vary with the attributes, browser protections, and changes over time. It may continue across cookie deletion or private browsing in some circumstances, so anti-fingerprinting settings and permission controls can reduce—but do not guarantee elimination of—the signal.
See also: Mobile Advertising ID (MAID), Identity Resolution, Surveillance Advertising
Do Not Call Register (Australia)
Australia's national telemarketing opt-out list, run by ACMA, for covered sales calls and marketing faxes to registered numbers.
The Do Not Call Register (donotcall.gov.au) is Australia's national opt-out list for covered telemarketing calls and marketing faxes, administered by the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA). Registration can reduce covered calls, but exemptions, consent, business relationships, caller duties, and the current Register rules matter. It complements the Privacy Act's APP 7 direct-marketing opt-out, which has its own scope and conditions.
Source: Do Not Call Register (Australia)
See also: Bloctel, Statutory Tort for Serious Invasions of Privacy, Opt-Out
Do Not Call (DNC) Registry (Singapore)
Singapore's national registry established under the PDPA allowing telephone subscribers to opt out of marketing messages, voice calls, and faxes.
Established under Part 9 of Singapore's Personal Data Protection Act 2012 (PDPA) and administered by the Personal Data Protection Commission (PDPC), the DNC Registry lets individuals register Singapore telephone numbers across three sub-registers: Voice Calls, Text Messages (SMS/MMS), and Faxes. Before sending covered commercial telemarketing messages to registered Singapore numbers, organisations generally must check the relevant register. Consent and some continuing-relationship or message-type exceptions can apply, so the current PDPC guidance controls the result.
Source: Personal Data Protection Commission (PDPC) - DNC Registry
See also: Opt-Out, Do Not Call Register (Australia), Data Subject Request (DSR)
F
First-Party Request
A deletion or access request sent directly by the consumer from their own email or identity, not through an intermediary.
A first-party request is one in which the consumer directly contacts the data broker or controller using their own email and identity, rather than using an agent or intermediary service. It may avoid an agent-authorization step, but the provider can still require matching information, verification, or another route; the sending method does not create a universal legal entitlement or guarantee acceptance. Tools like OfflistMe generate first-party request emails that the consumer sends from their own inbox.
See also: Authorized Agent, Zero-Data Architecture
G
GDPR
General Data Protection Regulation, the European Union's comprehensive data-protection law governing processing within its territorial scope.
The General Data Protection Regulation (Regulation EU 2016/679), effective May 2018, governs the processing of personal data in the circumstances described by its territorial-scope rules, including certain processing by establishments in the EU or by organisations offering goods or services to, or monitoring, people in the EU. Key rights include access, rectification, erasure ("right to be forgotten," Article 17), restriction of processing, data portability, and the right to object. The highest GDPR administrative-fine tier is up to 4% of worldwide annual turnover or €20M, whichever is higher, for specified infringements.
Source: Regulation (EU) 2016/679
See also: CCPA, Right to be Forgotten, Data Subject Request (DSR)
Global Privacy Control (GPC)
A browser and extension signal that communicates a user's intent to opt out of the sale or sharing of their personal information.
Global Privacy Control is an open standard browser signal that conveys opt-out preferences where the applicable law and provider support it. Some browsers and extensions implement it; check the current implementation and state rules for the service you are visiting. Enabling GPC can provide a passive opt-out signal that complements, but does not replace, a provider-specific deletion request.
See also: Universal Opt-Out Mechanism, Opt-Out
I
ID Verification
The process by which a data broker or controller confirms the identity of a consumer making a privacy request.
ID verification is how a business confirms the requester is the consumer whose data is at issue. CCPA verification must be reasonable and proportionate to the request and the information involved; whether a government ID is appropriate depends on the current law, request, provider process, and sensitivity of the data. Some brokers request full ID uploads, which creates additional privacy and breach risk. OfflistMe's approach avoids asking users to upload ID to OfflistMe by generating first-party requests the consumer sends from their own inbox.
See also: Verifiable Consumer Request, First-Party Request
Identity Resolution
The process of stitching together disparate records and identifiers to determine they all refer to the same person.
Identity resolution is a matching process used by many data businesses to assess whether records and identifiers may refer to the same person or household. It can combine deterministic signals, such as an exact identifier, with probabilistic signals derived from overlapping attributes. Different providers use different methods and confidence thresholds, so an opt-out at one provider does not automatically change independent records held elsewhere.
See also: Data Enrichment, Shadow Profile, Data Broker
K
KvK Address Shielding (Afschermen)
The Dutch process of shielding a visiting or home address in the KvK trade register when the registrant meets the current eligibility rules.
In the Netherlands, businesses register in the KvK (Kamer van Koophandel) Handelsregister, and for sole proprietorships (eenmanszaken) the visiting address may be a home address. KvK materials describe shielding options and conditions, including the need for a separate postal address in relevant cases; other entities and officials can have different rules. Shielding at the KvK does not automatically undo data already copied by online brokers, so a separate GDPR request may be relevant when its requirements are met. Review the current KvK route for the entity and risk facts.
Source: KvK, Shielding your business address
See also: BRP Geheimhouding, Public Records, Right to be Forgotten
L
Location Data Broker
A data broker specializing in precise geolocation data, often harvested from app SDKs and ad auctions, sold for targeting and analytics.
Location data businesses may collect or receive movement signals from mobile-app SDKs, advertising systems, or other sources and may use or sell those signals for different purposes. The FTC has brought actions involving companies such as Kochava, X-Mode/Outlogic, and InMarket over alleged handling of precise location data and sensitive inferences. Precise location can reveal visits to homes, workplaces, places of worship, health facilities, or other sensitive places, but the source, precision, and use of a particular dataset must be verified separately.
See also: Mobile Advertising ID (MAID), Real-Time Bidding (RTB), Sensitive Personal Information
Liste Rouge
A French "red list" service that removes your phone number from the universal telephone directory.
The liste rouge ("red list") is a free option you request from your French telecom operator to remove your phone number, and the associated name and address, from the universal directory (annuaire universel) and from directory-enquiry services. A related "liste orange" limits use of your details for marketing while keeping you findable. Requesting the liste rouge is the standard French step for taking your number out of public directories such as PagesBlanches/PagesJaunes, and it pairs with the current telephone-prospecting consent rules and GDPR objection requests for a fuller removal.
Source: CNIL: file a complaint
See also: Bloctel, People-Search Site, Opt-Out
Lista Robinson
Spain's advertising-exclusion system, managed by Adigital and recognised under LOPDGDD Article 23, for limiting unsolicited marketing across selected channels.
The Lista Robinson is Spain's advertising-exclusion service, managed by Adigital (Asociación Española de la Economía Digital) and included among the systems recognised by the Agencia Española de Protección de Datos (AEPD). Under Article 23 of Ley Orgánica 3/2018 (LOPDGDD), marketers generally must consult applicable exclusion systems and exclude registered consumers, but the rule has consent, customer-relationship, channel, and timing conditions. Registration is free and the user selects the channels covered; the AEPD says effectiveness begins from the second month after registration.
Source: Lista Robinson (Adigital / AEPD)
See also: GDPR, Opt-Out, Do Not Call Register (Australia)
M
Mobile Advertising ID (MAID)
A resettable identifier assigned to a phone, such as Apple IDFA or Google Advertising ID, that can help link app activity or ad interactions to a device.
A Mobile Advertising ID (MAID), such as Apple's IDFA or Google's Advertising ID, is a resettable device or app identifier that advertisers and data businesses can use to connect activity, location signals, and ad interactions without directly displaying a person's name. A MAID can sometimes be linked with other identifiers or datasets, but the linkability and effect of resetting it depend on the platform, permissions, other signals, and the recipient's practices. On iOS, App Tracking Transparency lets you control an app's access to the IDFA; resetting or limiting an advertising ID does not erase other records.
See also: Real-Time Bidding (RTB), Location Data Broker, Device Fingerprinting
Melderegister
Germany's mandatory residents' registration database; third parties can request basic name-and-address data unless you file a registry block.
The Melderegister is Germany's residents' registration system under the Bundesmeldegesetz: residents generally must register their address ("Anmeldung") with the local authority. Because third parties can request "simple registry information" (einfache Melderegisterauskunft), including name and current address under the statutory conditions, the registry can feed downstream directory or address-trading activity. Residents can ask about an Übermittlungssperre for specified disclosures and, where a credible risk is established, an Auskunftssperre under §51 BMG; neither route should be described as an unlimited block on every lawful disclosure.
Source: Bundesmeldegesetz (gesetze-im-internet)
See also: Übermittlungssperre, Auskunftssperre, Public Records
N
Não Me Perturbe (Brazil)
Brazil's national telemarketing blocklist, established by Anatel, allowing telephone subscribers to block sales calls from telecom operators and financial payroll loan brokers.
Não Me Perturbe (naomeperturbe.com.br) is a Brazilian telemarketing blocklist used for participating telecommunications providers and, under the current portal scope, certain financial or payroll-credit providers. The service lets consumers register fixed or mobile numbers and select the provider category. The portal states that a telecommunications block takes effect within up to 30 calendar days; check the live participant list and current rules for other categories.
Source: Anatel - Não Me Perturbe Portal
See also: Opt-Out, Bloctel, Do Not Call Register (Australia)
O
Opt-Out
A request that a business stop a specified processing activity, such as selling personal information or using it for targeted advertising.
Under CCPA, "opt-out" refers specifically to the right to direct a business to stop selling or sharing personal information. Under most newer state laws, separate opt-outs exist for sale, targeted advertising, and profiling. Opt-out is narrower than deletion: the business may retain data but must stop the specified activity. Universal opt-out mechanisms like Global Privacy Control (GPC) signal opt-out at the browser level.
See also: Universal Opt-Out Mechanism, Global Privacy Control (GPC)
Opt-In
Affirmative consent given before a specified processing activity, required in some legal contexts and for some data uses.
Opt-in consent means the consumer affirmatively agrees before a specified processing activity. Under GDPR, consent is one possible lawful basis and explicit consent is required for some sensitive-data processing; not every processing activity requires consent. Washington's MHMDA generally requires consent for the sale of consumer health data, subject to the statute's conditions. Many US state privacy laws otherwise use an opt-out model for activities such as sale or targeted advertising.
See also: Opt-Out
Open Electoral Register
The "edited" version of the UK electoral roll that anyone, including marketers and people-search sites, can legally buy, and that you can opt out of.
The UK electoral register exists in two versions. The full register is restricted to elections, credit referencing, and law enforcement. The open (or "edited") register can be purchased for purposes allowed by the relevant rules, including some marketing and people-search uses. GOV.UK says you can opt out for free through your local council's Electoral Registration Office without losing your right to vote. That reduces one source of future exposure, but it does not erase Companies House records, telephone-directory data, other broker copies, or search-engine results.
Source: GOV.UK: Opt out of the open register
See also: 192.com, People-Search Site, Public Records
P
People-Search Site
A subtype of data broker that offers public-facing search of individuals by name, phone, address, or email.
People-search sites let users look up an individual by name or another identifier, returning aggregated records from public or commercial sources. Examples include Whitepages, Spokeo, TruePeopleSearch, FastPeopleSearch, BeenVerified, Nuwber, and Radaris. Results and pricing vary by site. A deletion or suppression route depends on the provider, the person, the data, and the privacy law that actually applies; do not assume every site has the same legal duty.
See also: Data Broker, Opt-Out
Profiling
Automated processing of personal data to evaluate, analyse, or predict characteristics of a person.
Profiling under GDPR (Article 22) and many US state privacy laws means automated processing that analyses or predicts an individual's work performance, economic situation, health, preferences, location, reliability, or behaviour. Several state laws (including Colorado, Connecticut, Oregon, New Jersey, and Minnesota) provide rights related to profiling that produces legal or similarly significant effects, but the definitions, notices, opt-outs, and exceptions differ. Minnesota's MCDPA includes specific rights to question certain automated decisions; do not treat one state's model as universal.
See also: Automated Decision-Making
Private Right of Action
The legal ability for a private individual (not just a government agency) to sue a business for a privacy violation.
A private right of action (PRA) lets individuals bring a lawsuit where the applicable law grants that remedy, rather than depending only on government enforcement. In US privacy law, examples include Illinois BIPA, the CCPA's limited security-breach action, and Washington's MHMDA-related action under the Washington Consumer Protection Act. Many comprehensive state laws do not create a general PRA and instead rely primarily on attorney-general enforcement, but the statute and facts control.
See also: BIPA, Cure Period
Processor
An entity that processes personal data on behalf of a controller, as defined under GDPR.
Under GDPR, a processor processes personal data on behalf of a controller pursuant to a data-processing agreement. Processors have obligations under the GDPR, including appropriate security measures and notifying the controller without undue delay after becoming aware of a personal-data breach; their duties differ from the controller's and can create direct liability in defined circumstances. Under CCPA the comparable role may be a "service provider" or "contractor." Many US state privacy laws adopt a controller/processor distinction, but definitions differ.
See also: Controller
Public Records
Government-maintained records that may be open to public inspection under applicable law, including property records, court filings, voter rolls, and business registrations.
Public records are documents or information maintained by a government and made available, or subject to disclosure, under the applicable public-records law. Access, redactions, exemptions, and voter-record rules vary by jurisdiction. Driver's-license information is also subject to the federal DPPA and state restrictions. Data brokers may collect or aggregate information from public sources to build profiles. Removal from a data broker does not necessarily remove the underlying government record or independent copies.
See also: Data Broker, Skip Tracing
People Search Engine
Synonymous with people-search site, an online service that returns personal information about an individual based on name or other identifier.
Used interchangeably with "people-search site." Examples include Whitepages, Spokeo, TruePeopleSearch, FastPeopleSearch, BeenVerified, Nuwber, Radaris, Intelius, and PeekYou. Whether a provider is a data broker under a particular state law, and whether a deletion request applies, depends on the provider's activities, statutory scope, exemptions, verification, and the data at issue.
See also: People-Search Site, Data Broker
Purpose Limitation
The principle that personal data collected for one specified purpose should not be further processed for incompatible purposes.
Purpose limitation (GDPR Article 5(1)(b)) requires that personal data be collected for specified, explicit, and legitimate purposes and not further processed incompatibly. Whether a later use or sale is compatible or otherwise permitted depends on the applicable law, notice, lawful basis or consent, contract, and statutory exceptions. Many US state laws also impose purpose or data-use limits, but their wording and scope differ; do not infer a violation from a data-broker relationship alone.
See also: Data Minimization, GDPR
Pretexting
Obtaining someone's personal information by deception, posing as the person or as someone authorized to receive the data.
Pretexting is the use of a false identity or fabricated scenario to trick a person, business, or institution into handing over information they would not otherwise disclose, for example, calling a phone company while impersonating the account holder. The Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act contains a criminal prohibition on obtaining or attempting to obtain customer information from a financial institution through false pretenses, and the FTC can address related deceptive conduct within its jurisdiction. Pretexting can fill gaps in a profile that public records do not contain; any particular incident should be verified against the underlying record or court materials.
See also: Data Broker, Skip Tracing
Q
Quebec Law 25
Quebec's private-sector privacy law, with consent, transparency, portability, and enforcement provisions that were phased in from 2022 through 2024.
Law 25 (formerly Bill 64) is Quebec's modernized private-sector privacy law, phased in from 2022 through 2024. It includes rules on consent, privacy officers, privacy impact assessments, breach reporting, and data portability, and the Commission d'accès à l'information says administrative monetary penalties can reach CAD $10 million or 2% of worldwide turnover in the applicable circumstances. Quebec's law is one of the substantially similar provincial regimes recognised for certain intraprovincial activity; identify the applicable statute and route from the facts rather than ranking Canadian regimes.
Source: Commission d'accès à l'information du Québec
See also: Private Right of Action, GDPR, Data Subject Request (DSR)
R
Right to be Forgotten
A right, rooted in GDPR Article 17, allowing individuals to request deletion of their personal data under specified conditions.
Under GDPR Article 17, the right to erasure ("right to be forgotten") lets a data subject request that a controller erase personal data when a listed ground applies, including that the data is no longer necessary, consent is withdrawn, or processing is unlawful. The right applies where the GDPR applies and is subject to exceptions. Similar rights exist in US state laws (CCPA right to delete, VCDPA, CPA, etc.) though worded differently. The terminology is associated with EU case law, including Google Spain v. AEPD (2014).
Right of Access
The right of a consumer to obtain a copy of the personal information a business holds about them.
The right of access (also "right to know") can let an eligible person obtain information a covered business holds about them, together with additional details required by the applicable law. It appears in CCPA, GDPR, and many state privacy frameworks, but scope, verification, exemptions, extensions, fees, and response deadlines vary. The right is distinct from the right to delete; one can often be requested without the other.
See also: Data Subject Request (DSR), Right to Delete, Data Subject Access Request (DSAR)
Right to Delete
The right of a consumer to demand that a business delete personal information it has collected about them.
The right to delete (also "right to erasure" under GDPR) can let an eligible person ask a covered business to delete personal information within the applicable scope. CCPA, GDPR, and many US state frameworks provide versions of this right, with material differences in coverage, verification, exemptions, extensions, and response deadlines. A business may retain information where an applicable exception permits or requires it; a request does not guarantee removal from public records or independent downstream copies.
See also: Right of Access, Right to be Forgotten
Real-Time Bidding (RTB)
The automated auction that sells an ad slot in milliseconds as a page loads, broadcasting user data to many bidders in the process.
Real-time bidding (RTB) is an automated advertising-auction process in which a page or app can send a bid request containing signals such as device information, approximate location, or inferred interests to multiple market participants. The participants and fields vary by implementation, and not every bidder necessarily receives the same data. Privacy regulators and researchers have raised concerns about downstream access and reuse of bid-request data; an RTB flow can be one route by which information moves beyond the app or site a person uses.
See also: Targeted Advertising, Mobile Advertising ID (MAID), Surveillance Advertising
Registro Pubblico delle Opposizioni (RPO)
Italy's national opt-out service allowing citizens to block unsolicited telemarketing calls and marketing mail to registered mobile and landline numbers.
The Registro Pubblico delle Opposizioni (RPO) is the official Italian opt-out register managed by the Fondazione Ugo Bordoni under the authority of the Ministry of Enterprises and Made in Italy (MIMIT) and supervised by the Garante per la protezione dei dati personali. The service covers eligible fixed and mobile numbers and can revoke telemarketing consents given before registration. Consent granted after registration, and certain continuing contractual relationships or statutory exceptions, can still affect whether a call is permitted; consult the current RPO rules for renewal and selective revocation.
Source: Registro Pubblico delle Opposizioni
See also: GDPR, Opt-Out, Bloctel, Do Not Call Register (Australia)
S
Sensitive Personal Information
A category of data under CCPA/CPRA that carries heightened protection, including SSN, precise geolocation, biometric data, and more.
Under CPRA, "sensitive personal information" includes government IDs (SSN, driver's license, passport), financial account credentials, precise geolocation, race, ethnicity, religion, union membership, contents of non-business communications, genetic data, biometric identifiers, health data, and sex-life or sexual orientation data. Consumers have a separate right to limit the use of SPI. Maryland's MODPA places additional restrictions on sensitive personal data; check the current statutory text for the category and processing at issue.
See also: CPRA, Biometric Data
SWATting
A harassment tactic in which a false emergency report is made to draw armed police response to a target's home address.
SWATting is the practice of placing a hoax emergency call, typically reporting an active shooter, hostage situation, or similar, to trigger a heavily armed police response at a victim's home. The tactic depends on the attacker obtaining or inferring a target address, which can involve data brokers, public records, social media, or other sources. Some jurisdictions have specific offences or enhanced penalties for swatting conduct. Reducing unnecessary address exposure is one defensive measure, not a guarantee against targeting.
See also: Doxxing, Daniel's Law
Skip Tracing
The practice of locating a person's current whereabouts by piecing together data from many sources, originally to find debtors who "skipped" town.
Skip tracing combines public records, credit-header data, utility and phone records, social media, and broker databases to locate an individual, traditionally used by debt collectors, bail bondsmen, process servers, and private investigators. Modern skip-tracing tools may use data brokers and people-search aggregators. The same kinds of records can be misused for stalking or harassment, so removing or suppressing one broker listing may reduce one source of exposure, but it is not a complete defensive guarantee.
See also: People-Search Site, Public Records, Pretexting
Shadow Profile
A profile a company or broker builds about a person who never created an account or knowingly shared data with it.
A shadow profile is a profile an entity may compile about someone who has not opened an account or knowingly given information directly to that entity. It can be assembled from contact lists, public records, third-party data, tracking signals, or other sources. Some people-search and marketing databases include records for people who never signed up, but the source, scope, and legal treatment vary by provider and jurisdiction.
See also: Identity Resolution, Data Broker, Digital Footprint
Surveillance Advertising
Advertising that relies on pervasive tracking and profiling of individuals across sites, apps, and the physical world.
Surveillance advertising (or "surveillance-based advertising") is the term privacy advocates use for the dominant ad model that depends on continuously tracking people, building behavioral profiles, and targeting them based on inferred traits. It is the economic engine that funds most data collection online and the demand side that makes data brokers profitable. Critics argue it is inherently privacy-hostile and have pushed for bans or strict limits; contextual advertising (targeting the content, not the person) is the leading privacy-preserving alternative.
See also: Targeted Advertising, Real-Time Bidding (RTB), Profiling
Suppression List
A list of people who have opted out, which a business is supposed to check so it doesn't re-add or re-contact them.
A suppression list (or "do-not-sell" / "do-not-contact" list) records an identifier associated with an opt-out so a provider can screen that identifier out of future processing, marketing, or sale. The list itself must retain enough information to work, so its privacy treatment matters. If data reappears after an opt-out, possible explanations include a failed suppression check, a new source, a different entity, a matching error, or a separate public record; the cause must be checked with the provider.
See also: Opt-Out, Identity Resolution, Data Broker
SCHUFA
A German credit-information provider; Article 15 GDPR can provide a right to request access to personal data, subject to the applicable conditions and exceptions.
SCHUFA (Schutzgemeinschaft für allgemeine Kreditsicherung) is a German credit-information provider. Its current corporate materials should be used for company statistics, products, and inquiry volumes rather than carrying historical figures into an evergreen definition. Under Article 15 GDPR, an eligible person can request access to personal data; the right is not limited to one free copy per year, although repeated, manifestly unfounded, or excessive requests can have different consequences. Accuracy disputes, deletion requests, scoring, and automated-decision rules require separate analysis under the applicable law and facts.
Source: SCHUFA (free annual data copy)
See also: Consumer Reporting Agency (CRA), Credit Header Data, Automated Decision-Making
Statutory Tort for Serious Invasions of Privacy
Australia's statutory cause of action for serious invasions of privacy, commenced on 10 June 2025 and subject to defined elements, exemptions, and time limits.
Schedule 2 of the Privacy Act 1988, added by the Privacy and Other Legislation Amendment Act 2024, commenced on 10 June 2025 and creates a statutory tort for serious invasions of privacy. The claim can involve intrusion upon seclusion or misuse of information, but the plaintiff must satisfy the statutory elements, including a reasonable expectation of privacy, intentional or reckless conduct, seriousness, and the public-interest balance. Exemptions, defences, remedies, and time limits apply; the OAIC does not administer the tort directly.
Source: OAIC: Statutory tort for serious invasions of privacy
See also: Private Right of Action, Do Not Call Register (Australia)
Sternchenvermerk (Swiss Asterisk Mark)
A Swiss telephone-directory asterisk (*) that signals refusal of certain unsolicited commercial calls under the Unfair Competition Act.
In Switzerland, Article 3(1)(u) of the Federal Act Against Unfair Competition (UWG / LCD) treats it as unfair to disregard a telephone-directory star mark indicating that the customer does not want advertising messages from businesses with which they have no relationship and that their data must not be shared for direct marketing. Commercial calls can still be permitted in some existing-customer situations, and the official guidance warns that the mark is not complete technical protection. It works alongside revDSG rights and directory suppression.
Source: SECO: Unsolicited advertising calls and the asterisk (German)
See also: Opt-Out, Do Not Call Register (Australia), Bloctel
T
Targeted Advertising
Displaying ads to a consumer based on personal data obtained from activity across other businesses, websites, or contexts.
Targeted advertising (also called "cross-context behavioral advertising" in CPRA) is advertising delivered based on data tracked across other businesses or contexts, as opposed to contextual advertising on a single site. CCPA/CPRA, VCDPA, CPA, CTDPA, OCPA, and several other state laws provide an opt-out or related control, but definitions, applicability, and universal-opt-out recognition vary. Where recognised, GPC can communicate the applicable preference.
See also: Profiling, Universal Opt-Out Mechanism, Real-Time Bidding (RTB)
U
Universal Opt-Out Mechanism
A browser- or device-level signal that some laws and providers recognise for specified opt-out preferences.
Universal opt-out mechanisms (UOOMs) let users express opt-out preferences once, at the browser level, rather than contacting each business individually. Global Privacy Control (GPC) is a widely supported UOOM, but implementation and legal coverage vary by jurisdiction, provider, and processing purpose. Check the current state rule and provider notice before relying on the signal.
Source: Global Privacy Control
See also: Global Privacy Control (GPC), Opt-Out
Unpublished Electoral Roll (New Zealand)
A statutory privacy safeguard in New Zealand that allows individuals whose safety is at risk to withhold their name and address from the public electoral roll.
Under Section 115 of the Electoral Act 1993, New Zealand residents can apply to the Electoral Commission to have their details placed on the Unpublished Electoral Roll (formerly the Confidential Roll) if they believe that having their information published on the publicly viewable electoral roll could threaten their personal safety or the safety of their family. The application requires evidence accepted by the Electoral Commission; current guidance gives examples such as an in-force protection order. Check the live application instructions rather than assuming one document is always required.
Source: Electoral Commission New Zealand - Unpublished roll
See also: Public Records, Address Confidentiality Program, Suppression List
V
Verifiable Consumer Request
Under CCPA, a consumer request accompanied by information that allows the business to reasonably verify the consumer's identity.
A verifiable consumer request is the CCPA process for confirming that the requester is the consumer whose information is at issue, where verification is required for the request. Verification should be reasonable and proportionate to the request and the information involved; the current CCPA regulations and the business's published process determine the permitted methods. Do not assume that an email address, ZIP code, or government ID is universally sufficient or required.
See also: Data Subject Request (DSR)
Z
Zero-Data Architecture
A scoped service design that keeps a defined category of personal information on the user's device instead of sending it to the service provider.
Zero-data architecture is a design pattern whose claim must be scoped to a processing purpose and data category. In a data-removal workflow, it can mean that the name, address, or other details used to compose an opt-out request stay in the browser and are not sent to the service as an opt-out profile. It does not automatically mean that the provider processes no personal data anywhere: checkout, access recovery, support, analytics, logs, and vendors may have separate data flows. OfflistMe applies this local-first model to opt-out request drafting; see the current Privacy Policy for the payment and access boundary.
See also: First-Party Request
Ü
Übermittlungssperre
A German registry opt-out that blocks specific disclosures of your address, such as to advertisers, political parties, churches, or for anniversary lists.
An Übermittlungssperre ("transmission block") is a targeted opt-out filed at your local Bürgeramt that stops Germany's residents' registry (Melderegister) from disclosing your data for particular purposes, most commonly advertising/address publishers, political parties ahead of elections, churches, and "age-anniversary" (Altersjubiläen) lists. Unlike the §51 Auskunftssperre, it does not require a safety threat and does not fully hide your address; it simply switches off the specified disclosure channels. It is the everyday tool German residents use to keep their registered address from feeding marketing and address-trading.
Source: Bundesmeldegesetz (gesetze-im-internet)
See also: Auskunftssperre, Melderegister, Suppression List
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