How to Stop Data Brokers from Selling Your Information

There are over 4,000 data broker companies in the United States. They collect your name, address, phone number, email, age, income, relatives, purchase history, and more, then sell it to advertisers, scammers, and anyone else willing to pay. You did not consent to any of this. But you can fight back. Here is how to actually stop them.

Last updated March 18, 2026

> What to do

  1. 1

    Figure out which brokers have your data

    You cannot opt out of sites you do not know about. Start by searching your name on Google and noting every people search result. Run a people search on EXPOSE to get a complete list of data broker sites publishing your information. The average person is listed on 20 to 40 broker sites.

  2. 2

    Start with the biggest brokers

    Focus your opt-out efforts on the highest-traffic sites first: Spokeo, WhitePages, BeenVerified, TruePeopleSearch, Radaris, Intelius, PeopleFinder, and USSearch. These are the ones most people actually use to look someone up. Each site has its own opt-out process, usually requiring an email verification.

  3. 3

    Submit opt-out requests one by one

    Go to each broker's opt-out or privacy page, find your listing, and submit a removal request. Most require your email address for verification. Some require you to create an account before you can request removal, which feels backwards but is how they operate. Budget about 5 to 10 minutes per site.

  4. 4

    Reduce the data you leak going forward

    Use a PO Box or mail forwarding service instead of your home address. Get a Google Voice number for online forms. Use email aliases for signups. Opt out of marketing lists through the DMA. Set social media profiles to private. Every piece of data you keep off the internet is one less thing brokers can scrape.

  5. 5

    Lock down your public records where possible

    Some states let you remove your voter registration from public lookup tools. You can hold property in a trust or LLC to keep your name off deed records. Use a registered agent for any business filings. These steps cut off the upstream sources that brokers pull from.

  6. 6

    Monitor for re-listings

    Opting out once is not enough. Brokers re-scrape public records every few months and your profiles come back. Either re-submit opt-outs on a quarterly schedule or use EXPOSE monitoring to get alerted when your data reappears on broker sites.

> Why data brokers are hard to stop

Data brokers operate in a legal gray area. Most of the data they collect is technically public. Property records, voter rolls, court filings, and business registrations are all government records that anyone can access. Brokers just automate the collection and make it searchable. There is no federal privacy law in the US that stops them. A few states like California (CCPA) and Vermont require broker registration, but enforcement is weak. The result is an industry that profits from your personal information with almost no accountability. The only real defense right now is persistent opt-outs combined with reducing your public data footprint.

> SCAN_NOW

Find out which data brokers have your information

Search your name to see which people search sites and data brokers are currently listing your personal data.

Start People Search

Frequently Asked Questions

How many data brokers have my information?▼
The average American adult is listed on 20 to 40 data broker sites. People who own property, have been in court cases, or are active on social media tend to be on even more.
Do data broker removal services actually work?▼
Services like DeleteMe and Kanary handle opt-outs on your behalf and monitor for re-listings. They work, but they cost money and still cannot prevent brokers from re-adding your data from public records. They save you time, not a permanent fix.
Is there a law that forces data brokers to delete my information?▼
California's CCPA and CPRA give residents the right to request deletion. A few other states have similar laws. But there is no federal privacy law. If you live in a state without data privacy legislation, brokers are not legally required to honor your request, though most do anyway to avoid bad press.
Can I block data brokers from collecting my data in the first place?▼
Not completely, because public records are public by law. But you can reduce what is available by using a PO Box, holding property in a trust, keeping social media private, and avoiding loyalty programs and marketing lists.
Start People Search
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