Most data broker opt-out guides list 50 to 100 brokers. The most comprehensive competitor lists top out around 750. This is a problem because the data broker ecosystem is far larger than most people realize.
Vigilant Privacy tracks 2,359 data brokers across 9 categories. If you only opt out of the 50 most popular people-search sites, your data remains exposed on 2,309 other platforms. That is like locking your front door while leaving every window open.
For comparison: DeleteMe covers approximately 750 brokers. Aura covers 200+. Incogni covers about 180. DuckDuckGo covers 62. See our full data broker directory for the complete breakdown.
People-search sites are the most visible type of data broker. They aggregate public records and make your personal information searchable by anyone with an internet connection. These sites typically display your name, age, address history, phone numbers, relatives, and sometimes criminal records and property information.
| Site | Opt-Out Method | Processing Time |
|---|---|---|
| Spokeo | Online form + email verification | 2 weeks |
| WhitePages | Online form + phone verification | 2 weeks |
| TruePeopleSearch | Online form + email + hCaptcha | 2 weeks |
| BeenVerified | Online form | 2-4 weeks |
| FastPeopleSearch | Online form | 2 weeks |
| Radaris | Online form + email | 2-4 weeks |
| Intelius | Online form | 2 months |
| MyLife | Phone call required | 2-4 weeks |
| PeopleFinders | Online form | 2 weeks |
| USSearch | Online form | 2-4 weeks |
| Nuwber | Email request | 2-4 weeks |
| ThatsThem | Online form | 2 weeks |
| FamilyTreeNow | Online form | 2 weeks |
| Instant Checkmate | Online form | 2 months |
| TruthFinder | Online form | 2 months |
| ZabaSearch | Fax or mail only | 4-6 weeks |
| USPhoneBook | Online form | 2 weeks |
| CyberBackgroundChecks | Online form | 2 weeks |
| Pipl | Email request | 4-6 weeks |
| Acxiom | Online form at aboutthedata.com | 4 weeks |
And this is just the top 20. There are over 480 more people-search sites in our database, many of which you have never heard of but which have your information.
Marketing data brokers collect your purchase history, browsing behavior, app usage, and demographic data to build advertising profiles. These companies often operate invisibly, powering the targeted ads you see across the internet.
Major marketing data brokers include Acxiom (2.5 billion consumer records), Oracle Data Cloud, Epsilon (operates Abacus consumer database), LiveRamp, Lotame, The Trade Desk, and hundreds of smaller companies. Most people have never heard of these companies, but they know more about you than most of your friends do.
Marketing data brokers typically accept opt-out requests via email or through online privacy portals. Under CCPA (California), VCDPA (Virginia), CPA (Colorado), and other state privacy laws, these companies are legally required to honor deletion requests.
B2B data brokers collect your professional information, including job title, employer, business email, LinkedIn profile, salary estimates, and company data. Major players include ZoomInfo, Apollo.io, Lusha, Clearbit, and RocketReach.
If you have ever received a cold sales email from someone you have never met who somehow knows your job title and company, a B2B data broker is why.
Background check companies compile criminal records, employment history, education verification, driving records, and credit information. These include both consumer-facing sites and enterprise services used by employers and landlords.
Under the FCRA, background check companies are regulated as Consumer Reporting Agencies. You have the right to request your file from each of them and dispute any inaccurate information. Vigilant Privacy automates disclosure requests to 37+ consumer reporting agencies.
Major retailers collect and sell your purchase data. This includes your grocery store loyalty card purchases, online shopping history, warranty registrations, and in-store tracking via Wi-Fi and Bluetooth beacons.
Warning: Many people do not realize their grocery store is a data broker. Kroger, Walmart, Target, CVS, and Walgreens all sell customer purchase data to marketing companies. Your shopping habits can reveal health conditions, financial status, dietary restrictions, and lifestyle information.
Health data brokers collect medical inferences from your purchases, web searches, and app usage. They do not have your actual medical records (which are protected by HIPAA), but they build detailed health profiles based on behavioral data.
Harte Hanks acquired the ADS Medical Ailment Database, which contains 240 million consumer profiles with up to 1,200 data attributes each, including inferred medical conditions. This data is sold to pharmaceutical companies, insurance providers, and marketers.
At least 15 major automakers collect and share driving data from connected vehicles:
| Automaker | Data Collected |
|---|---|
| General Motors (OnStar) | Speed, location, braking, acceleration, seatbelt use |
| Ford | Driving behavior, location, vehicle diagnostics |
| Toyota | Driving patterns, location, vehicle health |
| Honda | Driving behavior, location, connected services usage |
| Tesla | Location, driving patterns, cabin camera, Autopilot data |
| Hyundai/Kia | Driving behavior, location, app usage |
| BMW | Driving patterns, location, vehicle diagnostics |
| Mercedes-Benz | Driving behavior, location, voice commands |
| Volkswagen | Driving patterns, location, infotainment usage |
| Nissan | Driving behavior, location, vehicle diagnostics |
GM was caught selling OnStar driving data to LexisNexis, which then sold it to insurance companies who used it to raise premiums on drivers with hard braking patterns.
Four major companies sell personal data directly to government agencies for surveillance purposes:
These companies purchase data from commercial brokers and resell it to law enforcement, allowing the government to track citizens without obtaining warrants.
There are three approaches to opting out of data brokers:
Visit each broker individually, find their opt-out page, submit your information, verify via email or phone, and repeat every 90 days. Realistic for 20-50 brokers. Not realistic for 2,359.
Automated services handle opt-out submissions on your behalf. Coverage varies dramatically between services. See our complete guide to removing your personal information for detailed comparisons.
If a broker refuses to honor your opt-out request, you may have legal recourse under CCPA, state privacy laws, or the FCRA. Some attorneys handle these cases on contingency, meaning you pay nothing upfront.
| Service | Brokers Covered | Price | Unique Features |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vigilant Privacy | 2,359 | $9.95/mo | CRA disclosures, credit disputes, GLBA opt-outs |
| DeleteMe | ~750 | $10.75/mo | Quarterly reports |
| Optery | ~600 | $15/mo | Exposure reports |
| OneRep | 316 | $7.49/mo | Profile screenshots |
| Aura | 200+ | $12/mo | Identity monitoring, VPN |
| Incogni | ~180 | $6.49/mo | GDPR support |
| DuckDuckGo | 62 | $9.99/mo | Browser integration |
Vigilant Privacy monitors and removes your data from 2,359 data brokers, requests reports from 37 consumer agencies, automates credit disputes, and handles prescreened offer opt-outs, Do Not Call registration, and bank data sharing opt-outs. All for $9.95/month.
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