To opt out of data brokers, you submit a deletion or “do not sell” request to each broker holding your information, verify the request by email or ID, and repeat the process every few months because most brokers can legally re-collect your data from the same public and commercial sources they used the first time. If you live in California, a single request through the state’s new centralized portal now reaches every registered broker at once. Everywhere else, opting out is still a one-broker-at-a-time job, though browser signals and paid services can cut down the work.
Start With the People-Search Sites
Search your own name on the major people-search sites first. That tells you which brokers are currently publishing your address, phone number, relatives, and other public-records information, and it gives you the list of sites to file requests with.
Before you start submitting forms, gather the identifying details a broker will ask you to match against your profile: your current and former home addresses, every email address you’ve used, and your phone numbers. Some brokers also require a copy of a government-issued ID to verify who you are before they’ll process a deletion.
On each broker’s site, look for a link labeled “Opt-Out,” “Do Not Sell My Information,” or “Your Privacy Choices.” These links are usually in the website footer. Fill out the form with accurate information so the broker can match the right profile to your request, then watch your inbox. Most portals send a verification email after submission, and the request won’t be processed unless you click the confirmation link.
Under California law, brokers have 45 days to fulfill a verified deletion request, with one possible 45-day extension if they notify you within the original window.1California Legislative Information. California Civil Code Section 1798.105 Other state privacy laws set similar timelines.
Use California’s DROP Portal If You Qualify
California residents have a shortcut no other state offers. The Delete Request and Opt-Out Platform, known as DROP, lets you submit a single deletion request that reaches every data broker registered with the state. The portal launched on January 1, 2026, and registered brokers must begin processing requests through it by August 1, 2026.2California Privacy Protection Agency. Delete Request and Opt-Out Platform (DROP)
After that date, brokers are required to check the portal at least every 45 days and delete matching data within 45 days of each request. Brokers are also prohibited from selling or sharing newly collected information about consumers who have submitted DROP requests. A broker that fails to comply faces administrative fines of $200 per consumer per day for each unprocessed deletion.3California Legislative Information. SB 362 – Delete Act
DROP only reaches brokers registered in California, and it only works for California residents. If you’re outside the state, individual opt-outs remain the only option.
Turn On the Global Privacy Control Signal
Rather than visiting each broker’s website, you can enable the Global Privacy Control signal in your browser or through a privacy-focused browser extension. GPC sends an automatic opt-out request to every website you visit.
In California, businesses that sell or share personal information must honor GPC as a valid opt-out request under state law.4California Department of Justice. Global Privacy Control (GPC) As of 2026, at least 12 states legally require covered businesses to honor these automated signals, including Colorado, Connecticut, Texas, Oregon, and New Jersey.
GPC has one important limit. It tells sites not to sell or share your data going forward, but it won’t trigger a full deletion of information already collected. Use it alongside deletion requests, not instead of them.
Paid Removal Services
If contacting hundreds of brokers individually sounds unmanageable, paid removal services will automate the process. Subscriptions typically run between $40 and $360 per year. The service submits opt-out requests on your behalf and monitors for your information reappearing on broker sites.
The limits are worth knowing. A removal service can’t force a broker to comply if no law in your state requires it, and the patchwork of state privacy laws means enforcement gaps remain wide. These services work best as a time-saver for people who live in states with strong opt-out rights but don’t want to track dozens of submissions and follow-ups themselves.
Why You’ll Have to Do This Again
Here’s the part that frustrates most people. A deletion request removes your current data, but it rarely prevents the broker from collecting it again. Public records keep updating, retailers keep selling loyalty-card data, and ad exchanges keep broadcasting your browsing behavior. Within a few months, your profile can reappear on the same site you just opted out of.
Outside California, traditional deletion requests are essentially one-time events. The broker deletes what it has, but nothing stops new data about you from flowing in through the same channels that built the original profile. Plan to re-check the major people-search sites every three to six months and resubmit requests when your information reappears.
California’s Delete Act attempts to solve this structurally: once you file through DROP, brokers must recheck for your information every 45 days and delete it again if they’ve re-acquired it.3California Legislative Information. SB 362 – Delete Act No other state has anything comparable yet. If you don’t live in California, ongoing monitoring is the only reliable defense against re-collection, whether you handle it yourself or pay a service to do it for you.
State Laws That Back Up Your Request
Roughly 20 states now have comprehensive consumer privacy laws, and several have created specific data broker registration requirements that make brokers easier to find and hold accountable.
California gives residents the right to request deletion of personal information a business has collected, with a 45-day deadline to comply.1California Legislative Information. California Civil Code Section 1798.105 Brokers must register annually with the California Privacy Protection Agency, and the registration fee is $6,600 plus a processing surcharge.5California Privacy Protection Agency. Data Broker Registration Fee Final Text
Vermont was the first state to require data broker registration, starting in 2019. Brokers must file annually with the Secretary of State by January 31 and pay a $100 fee. The registration must disclose whether the broker lets consumers opt out, which methods are available, and how many data breaches the broker experienced in the prior year. A broker that skips registration owes the state $50 for each day it remains unregistered, capped at $10,000 per year.6Vermont General Assembly. Vermont Code Title 9 Chapter 62 Section 2446 – Annual Registration The public registry is a useful place to find brokers you might want to opt out of.
Oregon requires data brokers to register with the Division of Financial Regulation.7Oregon Division of Financial Regulation. Registration Mandatory for Data Brokers in Oregon Texas has also enacted registration requirements and requires brokers to post instructions on their websites explaining how consumers can exercise their privacy rights.
What Federal Law Does and Doesn’t Cover
Federal law does not give you a general right to demand that a data broker delete your information. Instead, several narrower laws touch different corners of the industry.
The Fair Credit Reporting Act limits who can access a “consumer report” and requires accuracy in reports used for credit, insurance, or employment decisions.8Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 15 USC 1681b – Permissible Purposes of Consumer Reports Many brokers argue their marketing lists and people-search profiles aren’t consumer reports, which places those products outside FCRA’s reach.
The Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act requires financial institutions to notify you before sharing your nonpublic personal information with unaffiliated third parties and to give you a chance to opt out.9Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 15 USC 6802 – Obligations With Respect to Disclosures of Personal Information It governs banks and lenders rather than the brokers themselves.
The Protecting Americans’ Data From Foreign Adversaries Act, signed in 2024, makes it illegal for a data broker to sell or transfer sensitive personal data about Americans to China, Russia, North Korea, or Iran, or to any entity controlled by those countries.10Congress.gov. H.R. 7520 – Protecting Americans Data From Foreign Adversaries Act of 2024 Violations can carry civil penalties of up to $53,088 per incident.11Federal Trade Commission. FTC Reminds Data Brokers of Their Obligations to Comply With PADFAA PADFAA restricts where your data can go, not whether it’s collected or sold domestically.
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau proposed a 2024 rule that would have brought more data broker activity under FCRA’s protections, but that proposed rule was withdrawn in May 2025 before taking effect.12Federal Register. Protecting Americans From Harmful Data Broker Practices Regulation V Withdrawal of Proposed Rule For now, your strongest opt-out rights come from state law, and the strongest state law is California’s.