Data brokers (also called information brokers or data aggregators) are companies whose primary business is collecting, aggregating, and selling personal data. They gather information from public records, loyalty programs, social media, purchase history, and hundreds of other sources — then package it into detailed profiles sold to marketers, insurers, financial institutions, background check companies, and governments.
What Data Brokers Know About You
- Full name, address history, phone numbers, and email addresses
- Age, gender, education, and employment history
- Estimated income and financial status
- Shopping habits, brand preferences, and purchase history
- Health conditions inferred from purchases and search history
- Political affiliation and voting history (in the US)
- Family members and relationship status
- Location history from mobile data purchases
Who Buys This Data
| Buyer | Use |
|---|---|
| Advertisers and marketers | Targeted advertising based on interests, demographics, and purchase behaviour |
| Insurance companies | Risk assessment and pricing decisions |
| Employers | Background checks and candidate screening |
| Banks and lenders | Credit risk and fraud detection |
| Law enforcement | Location data and relationship mapping |
| Stalkers and scammers | People-search sites make data available to anyone who pays |
How to Remove Yourself From Data Broker Sites
- Identify the major brokers: Spokeo, WhitePages, BeenVerified, Intelius, Acxiom, LexisNexis
- Submit opt-out requests to each individually — most have a form but the process is deliberately tedious
- Use services like DeleteMe or Privacy Bee to automate removal requests across hundreds of brokers
- Repeat every 3-6 months — data gets re-added as brokers rescrape public records
People Also Ask
- Is it legal for data brokers to sell my information?
- In most countries, yes — at least for publicly sourced data. California's CCPA and the EU's GDPR give residents stronger rights to access, correct, and delete their data. In the US, people-search sites operate in a legal grey area: they use public records but compile them into easily accessible profiles.
- Can I stop data brokers completely?
- Not entirely, but you can reduce your exposure significantly. Opt out of as many brokers as possible, use a PO box instead of your home address for subscriptions, limit social media information, and use privacy-focused email aliases for online sign-ups.
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