Right now, as you read this, companies you’ve never heard of are compiling and selling your most personal information — your home address, phone number, email, family members’ names, estimated income, and more. These companies are called data brokers, and the industry they’ve built is worth over $200 billion a year.
The worst part? Most people don’t even know it’s happening.
In this guide, we’ll break down exactly what are data brokers, how they get your information, what they do with it, and most importantly — how to stop them from selling your personal data.
Want to see if your data is already exposed? Optery offers a free scan that shows you exactly which broker sites have your personal information — no credit card needed.
What Are Data Brokers?
Data brokers are companies that collect personal information from a variety of sources, package it into detailed profiles, and sell those profiles to anyone willing to pay. Their customers include advertisers, insurance companies, employers, landlords, background check companies, political campaigns, and unfortunately, scammers and criminals.
So what are data brokers actually doing with your data? They’re profiting from it — massively. The largest data brokers — companies like Acxiom, Epsilon, and Experian — maintain files on hundreds of millions of individuals and generate billions in annual revenue. But there are also thousands of smaller brokers and people-search sites like Spokeo, BeenVerified, Whitepages, and Radaris that make your information available to anyone with a credit card.
How Do Data Brokers Get Your Information?
You might be wondering how these companies get such detailed information about you without your knowledge. The answer is: from nearly everywhere.
Public records are one of the biggest sources. Property records, court filings, voter registration, marriage and divorce records, and business filings are all publicly accessible and regularly scraped by data brokers.
Online activity is another goldmine. The websites you visit, searches you make, purchases you complete, loyalty programs you sign up for, and apps you download all generate data that gets collected and sold. Those free apps on your phone? Many of them are free specifically because your data is the product.
Social media profiles provide rich personal details that brokers aggregate. Even if your accounts are “private,” leaked or scraped data from platforms regularly ends up in broker databases.
Data breaches are a constantly growing source. With over 2,200 reported breaches in 2024 alone and billions of records exposed, previously private data like passwords, financial details, and personal identifiers now circulate freely.
7 Alarming Things Data Brokers Know About You
Understanding what are data brokers really means understanding just how much they know. Here are 7 categories of information that are almost certainly sitting in a data broker’s file with your name on it:
1. Your home address (current and previous). Every place you’ve lived is cataloged and publicly listed on people-search sites. Anyone can find where you live for a few dollars.
2. Your phone numbers. Cell and landline numbers are scraped and sold to marketing databases, leading to the endless spam calls and robocalls you can’t seem to stop.
3. Your family members and relationships. The names of your spouse, children, parents, and siblings are all publicly listed and linked to your profile.
4. Your financial data. Estimated income, property values, credit behavior, and financial profiles are compiled and sold to insurers, lenders, and marketers.
5. Your email addresses. Every email address you’ve ever used is aggregated, fueling phishing attacks and inbox flooding. Over 90% of phishing attacks start with data purchased from brokers.
6. Your purchasing habits and interests. What you buy, where you shop, what brands you prefer, your political affiliation, religious beliefs, and even health-related search history.
7. Your breach history. Passwords and credentials from past data breaches are compiled and traded. With over 10 billion records leaked in 2024, there’s a good chance your data is out there.
A single data broker may have over 1,500 data points on an individual consumer. When you multiply that across the hundreds of brokers that have your data, the picture becomes disturbingly complete.
Concerned about what brokers have on you? See our comparison of the best data removal services to find the right protection for your situation.
Why You Should Care About What Data Brokers Know
There are several very real consequences of having your personal information circulating through data broker networks.
Identity theft is the most serious risk. Identity fraud cost Americans over $23 billion in recent years. Criminals use data purchased from brokers to open accounts, file false tax returns, and commit fraud in your name.
Spam, robocalls, and phishing are the daily annoyances. When your phone number and email are sold to marketing databases, the flood of unwanted contacts never stops. Worse, sophisticated phishing attacks use your personal details to craft convincing scams.
Discrimination and profiling happen when employers, landlords, and insurance companies use broker data to make decisions about you. Your health-related searches could affect insurance rates. Your financial profile could affect housing applications.
Stalking and harassment become easier when anyone can purchase your home address, phone number, and daily routines from a people-search site for a few dollars. This is particularly dangerous for domestic abuse survivors, public figures, and anyone with a safety concern.
How to Remove Your Information From Data Brokers
Now that you understand what are data brokers and why they’re dangerous, let’s talk about how to fight back. You have two options: do it yourself, or use an automated removal service.
The DIY Approach
You can technically contact each data broker individually and request they delete your information. Here’s what that looks like in practice:
First, you need to identify which brokers have your data. A quick Google search of your own name will surface some, but many brokers don’t index their data publicly. You’d need to check hundreds of sites individually.
Then, for each broker, you need to find their opt-out page (often deliberately hard to find), submit a removal request, verify your identity (sometimes requiring a photo ID), and wait for processing.
The catch? Data brokers refresh their databases constantly. Your information will likely reappear within weeks or months, meaning you’d need to repeat this entire process regularly.
According to research from Incogni’s team, the average person would need over 304 hours to remove their data from major brokers just once. That’s nearly 8 full work weeks — and you’d need to do it again every few months.
Automated Data Removal Services
This is where data removal services come in. These companies automate the entire process by scanning hundreds of data broker databases to find where your information appears, sending removal requests on your behalf, monitoring for re-listings and sending fresh removal requests automatically, and providing ongoing protection rather than a one-time fix.
The best services cover 300 to 750+ data brokers and people-search sites. Monthly costs typically range from $8 to $12 depending on the service and plan level.
We’ve researched and compared the top data removal services available today. See our full comparison here to find the right service for your needs, but the leading options include:
- Incogni — 420+ brokers covered, strong automation, verified by Deloitte
- DeleteMe — 750+ broker coverage, well-established reputation
- Optery — Transparent dashboard with custom removals on the Pro plan
- Aura — Full identity protection suite with data removal included
California’s DELETE Act: A Game Changer in 2026
There’s a major development on the regulatory front. California’s Delete Request and Opt-Out Platform (DROP) launched in January 2026, allowing California residents to submit a single deletion request that reaches every registered data broker in the state.
Starting August 1, 2026, data brokers will be required to process these requests and delete consumer data every 45 days. This is a significant step forward, but it currently only applies to California residents and registered brokers.
Even with DROP, data removal services remain valuable because they cover brokers nationwide (not just California-registered ones), they work for residents of any state, they handle ongoing monitoring and re-removal automatically, and they cover both public-facing and private-database brokers.
What You Can Do Right Now
Don’t wait for legislation to protect you. Here are three steps you can take today:
Step 1: Search for yourself. Google your own name, phone number, and address. See what comes up. You’ll probably be surprised — and motivated to take action.
Step 2: Sign up for a data removal service. If you value your time and your privacy, an automated service is the most practical solution. Most offer monthly plans starting under $10 and take just a few minutes to set up. Compare the top services here.
Step 3: Practice better data hygiene going forward. Limit what you share on social media, use a VPN for browsing, create unique email addresses for different services, opt out of loyalty programs that sell data, and review app permissions on your phone.
Your personal data is an asset — and right now, data brokers are profiting from it without your consent. Now that you know what are data brokers and how they operate, taking control starts with awareness and leads to action.
Ready to take back your privacy? Compare the best data removal services of 2026 side by side to see how the top services stack up on coverage, pricing, and features.