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It shouldn't surprise you that your personal information is floating around online. From old photos to contact details to banking records, a lot of your very personal data is easily accessible. And chances are, someone's packaged it to be sold. That someone is a data broker—and you are their product.
This article was made possible in part by Optery. It was written and edited independently without partner oversight.
The good news is, you don’t have to be complacent. The first step in managing your online presence is to learn what data brokers know and how they're using your information, and we're here to walk you through the process.
What Are Data Brokers and How Do They Work?
Anyone who uses the internet leaves a trace. Data brokers are entities that gather your personal information to sell online. These details include contact information, financial history, property records, social media accounts, and even health reports.
The scary part is, data brokers don’t hack your system for the information. Most of it comes from seemingly harmless sources. For example:
- Social media accounts: Whatever you’re posting, liking, or following.
- Browser activity: The websites you visit often, cookies, and maybe even your location.
- Financial activity: Income, credit card transactions, and online shopping habits.
- Public records: Property information, legal matters, etc.
This information is compiled and then sold to those who find it useful—like someone running a background check, advertisers trying to target you with specific products, or an insurance provider trying to get more insight. The buyer list is longer than you'd think, and while one detail on its own doesn’t reveal much, together they can present a pretty accurate picture of your habits, beliefs, and even your future plans.
It sounds like something Lumon Corp from "Severance" would do. Once data brokers have enough information, they create detailed profiles. For instance, your profile can include your address, phone number, age, gender, marital status, income, occupation, purchase history, and more. You might even be categorized into ultra-specific categories, such as a “gym freak,” “new parent,” or maybe even “skincare enthusiast.” The data is packaged in such a way that it’s easier to sell to relevant buyers.
Interestingly, data brokers themselves can be squeezed for information. In 2024, a firm called National Public Data was hacked, exposing the personal information of millions of Americans.
3 Ways to See What Data Brokers Know About You
It takes a little digging to see what’s being said and shared about you, but it is possible. These three steps should give you a pretty clear idea of what is out there:
1. Look Yourself Up
The easiest way to find out what personal data is out there is to investigate yourself. Perform a quick search using your details (name, phone number, or email) and see what turns up. There’s a chance that “people search” sites like Spokeo, BeenVerified, Whitepages, or Intelius will have some information. Most of these sites don’t show the full report unless you pay, but the preview should give you an idea.
2. Go Directly to the Source
Next, you’ll want to check with the bigger brokers directly. Most of the major brokers—Acxiom, LexisNexis, and Experian Marketing Services—are required to provide access to your data at your request. There’s usually a form that requires identity confirmation to grant access. It won’t be instant, as these companies have a reputation for non-compliance. Waiting several weeks and repeatedly following up is part of the process.
Once you have your identity confirmed, you can submit manual opt-out requests. Look for the "privacy," "opt-out," or "do not sell my personal information" option on the website and follow the on-screen instructions to proceed with your request.
Note that even after these requests, you can’t really scrub everything. You might be successful in getting a lot of personal information removed, but official stuff (public records, government databases, etc) won’t disappear entirely.
Compliance also depends on where you live. In California, the Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) gives you the right to see and even delete what brokers have on you. Other states like Virginia, Colorado, Connecticut, and Utah have passed similar laws that require brokers to open up their databases.
We suggest filing a request even if you don’t live in one of these states, since most of these brokers have the same standards nationwide.
3. Use a Personal Data Removal Service
If services exist to extract your data, there should be others that help you reclaim it—and there are. Personal data removal services like Optery, Incogni, and Privacy Bee work by finding your information across a database of broker sites and then filing automated opt-out requests on your behalf.
These services are also helpful in the long term because they perform regular maintenance, keeping an eye on when data recurrence. Of course, most of these run on a subscription model, so expect to pay anywhere from $100 to $300 a year. If you’d rather just wipe the data once and be done, or simply don’t want to commit, some services also offer one-time packages with a flat rate.
What Else Can You Do to Control Your Online Presence?
We won’t sugarcoat it: Data brokers collect data on an ongoing basis and refresh their directories quite frequently. So, unless you’ve decided to fake your entire online identity (not recommended) or are actively trying to change the way you share information, your information will end up somewhere. But you can take steps to limit the information available to data brokers and control your online presence by scrubbing your data manually or with the help of a personal data removal service.
After removing your information from data brokers, consider reducing your digital footprint. Start with what connects you with the world—social media. Review your privacy settings and hide anything that doesn’t need to be public (such as your location, profession, and friend list). Eliminate accounts you no longer use to prevent data leaks.
Use a reliable VPN to mask your browsing activity and location when you’re online. It doesn’t make you invisible, but it still limits information access. A tracker-blocking browser extension and regularly cleaning cookies will also provide security.
If you shop online often, use virtual credit card numbers and temporary email addresses to keep your real financial details from being shared too widely.
Data protection continual upkeep. But once you've taken a peek behind the curtain and seen just how much of your data is out there, it's easy to understand that regular maintenance is well worth it.