What Is a Data Broker, and Why Does It Have Your Address?
Data brokers quietly assemble profiles from public records, purchases and apps, then sell them. Here is how the industry works and what you can do about it.
California led the way, and many other states have passed comprehensive privacy laws since. The details differ, but most give residents a similar set of rights.
- Right to know what a business has collected about you.
- Right to delete personal information, with some exceptions.
- Right to opt out of the sale or sharing of your data.
- Right to use an authorized agent to make these requests for you.
What an authorized agent does
When you sign an authorized agent agreement, a service can submit requests in your name. That is how removal services can contact dozens of brokers for you. This article is general information, not legal advice.