What is a data broker?
A data broker is a company that collects personal information about people — from public records, online activity and other sources — packages it into detailed profiles, and sells or licenses it to marketers, other businesses and even individuals, usually without your knowledge or consent.
What data do they collect?
A typical broker profile can include your full name and aliases, current and past home addresses, phone numbers, email addresses, age and date of birth, relatives and associates, marital status, estimated income and net worth, property and vehicle records, court and criminal records, shopping habits and inferred interests. Stitched together, these turn scattered facts into a single, searchable dossier on you.
Where do they get it?
Mostly from public records (voter registrations, property deeds, court filings, business licenses), combined with purchase and loyalty-card data, app and website tracking, social media profiles, warranty registrations, and data bought from other brokers. None of it requires your permission, and because public records are continuously published, brokers can rebuild a profile even after you remove it.
Who buys your data, and why?
Advertisers and marketers buy it for targeting; background-check and people-search sites resell it to anyone curious about you; lead-generation firms feed it to robocallers and spammers; and, less comfortably, it can end up with scammers, stalkers and identity thieves who use your details to target you. That last group is why exposure on broker sites is a real safety issue, not just a privacy nuisance.
Are data brokers legal?
In the U.S., largely yes — there’s no single federal law banning them, so the industry is mostly legal and self-regulated. But a growing number of states (California’s CCPA/CPRA and DELETE Act, plus Vermont, Texas, Oregon and others) now require brokers to register and to honor consumer deletion requests. That right to opt out is the legal lever you use to get your data removed.
Data brokers vs. people-search sites
People-search sites — Spokeo, Whitepages, BeenVerified, Radaris and the like — are the consumer-facing tip of the iceberg: they let anyone look you up for a few dollars. The broader data-broker category also includes large marketing-data and background-check companies that sell in bulk to businesses. Both expose you; people-search sites are just the ones you can see and search.
How to remove your data from brokers
You can opt out for free — every major broker is required to offer it. Start with our free data-broker opt-out guide, which links each site and the exact steps, and check what’s already leaked with our free breach & dark-web check. The catch is scale and re-listing — there are hundreds of brokers and they repopulate your profile within weeks — so removal has to be repeated or automated. For the full picture, see how to remove your personal information from the internet.
See which brokers have your data
Run a free scan across 499 broker and people-search sites to see exactly where you’re exposed — no card required.
Check my exposure — free →Data brokers, explained
What is a data broker in simple terms?
A data broker is a company that collects personal information about people from public records, online activity and other sources, packages it into profiles, and sells or licenses it to other businesses, marketers and even individuals — usually without you knowing or being asked.
Are data brokers legal?
Mostly, yes. In the United States there is no single federal law banning data brokers, so the industry is largely legal and self-regulated. Some states (California, Vermont, Texas and others) now require brokers to register and honor deletion requests, which is the legal basis for opting out.
What is the difference between a data broker and a people-search site?
People-search sites (like Spokeo or Whitepages) are a consumer-facing type of data broker: they let anyone look up a person’s address, phone and relatives for a few dollars. “Data broker” is the broader category that also includes background-check and marketing-data companies that sell in bulk to businesses.
How do data brokers get my information?
From public records (voter rolls, property deeds, court filings), purchase and loyalty-card data, app and website tracking, social media, warranty cards and other brokers. They aggregate these scattered sources into one searchable profile.
How do I remove my information from data brokers?
Every major broker is legally required to offer a free opt-out. You can do it yourself — our free data-broker opt-out guide links each one — but there are hundreds of brokers and they re-list you every few weeks, so most people automate it.