Data Broker Database

Our unified database of data broker registrations across five states. We built a unified search tool for state data broker registries. For the first time, you can explore all 750 registered brokers in one place and see how this hidden industry operates.

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About This Database

Privacy Rights Clearinghouse has been advocating for data broker transparency for decades. Following Vermont's pioneering data broker registry law in 2019, the perhaps-even-more groundbreaking California Delete Act and subsequent laws in Oregon and Texas, we can now piece together a  (more) comprehensive view of this largely opaque industry.

We systematically collected and analyzed registration data from five state registries in April 2025, identifying 750 unique data broker groups operating across the country. This database consolidates registration information from:

  • California Privacy Protection Agency (current Delete Act registry)
  • California Attorney General (legacy registry, 2019-2024)
  • Vermont Secretary of State (2019-present)
  • Texas Secretary of State (2024-present)
  • Oregon Department of Financial Regulation (2024-present)

Use this database to:

  • Search data brokers by name or data collection practices
  • Compare what companies disclose to different state regulators
  • Find contact information for privacy deletion requests
  • Research industry compliance patterns across states

Our thanks to the Electronic Frontier Foundation and the Harvard Law School Cyberlaw Clinic, including students Stephen Guth and Ethan Thai, for their collaboration on this project.

State Registries Scraped

5

Data Brokers Identified

750

Data Collected

April 2025

What We Found

Cross-referencing data broker registrations across all five state registries revealed significant compliance gaps that suggest many companies are failing to register where required by law.

Registration Gaps

California CPPA Registry

459 registered / 291 missing

Vermont Registry

441 registered / 309 missing

Texas Registry

226 registered / 524 missing

Oregon Registry

275 registered / 475 missing

Search and Explore

Use our interactive database to search data brokers, compare registrations across states, and find contact information for privacy requests.

How We Built This Database

Creating this unified database required collecting data from five different state systems with completely different formats, then developing sophisticated matching algorithms to identify the same companies across registries despite major variations in how they report information

The Challenge

Beyond different field structures, each state collects different types of information, and companies often provide varying levels of detail to different regulators. The same broker might disclose location data collection in California while only mentioning financial data in Texas. These variations, combined with potential data entry differences, made simple name-matching inadequate.

Quality Control

We used a three-tiered human review process to validate our automated matching: systematic checks for incorrectly grouped companies, detailed pairwise comparisons of a sample of groups, and broader review for missed matches. This was necessary to ensure that any AI-led decision received at least one pass of human-level review to a certain degree of confidence.

Data Collection

We used different methods for each registry: direct CSV downloads from California's systems, systematic web scraping for Vermont and Texas, and unified multiple data sources from Oregon including license portal XML files.

Entity Matching

We built matching algorithms that combined fuzzy name similarity with domain analysis to identify the same companies across registries. This required creating grouping logic to handle variations in how companies represent themselves across different states.

Limitations and Accuracy

Registration requirements vary between states, corporate relationships are complex, and business circumstances change over time. Our matching process has inherent limitations - we can't definitively resolve all corporate family relationships, and some companies may have legitimate reasons for different registration approaches across jurisdictions. Based on our validation process, we estimate less than 2% error rate in entity matching, but some uncertainty remains.

Download the Database

We're making this entire database freely available under Creative Commons CC-BY-NC-SA 4.0 licensing for researchers, policymakers, advocates, and the public. The downloadable database contains the data provided by data broker registries, normalized, cleaned, and grouped for analysis.

Please credit Privacy Rights Clearinghouse when using this data. For commercial uses or if the CC-BY-NC-SA 4.0 license terms don't work for your specific implementation, please reach out to us directly through our contact form.

We encourage researchers to build on this foundation and look forward to seeing how this data enables new insights into data broker practices.

Taking Control: Deleting Your Data from Brokers

Removing your personal information from data brokers is a daunting challenge. There are hundreds of registered data brokers across the various registries, and while our database somewhat simplifies the task by directly linking to the privacy policies of nearly every broker listed -- this is still a Herculean task. 

Currently, you may approach each broker individually, which typically involves:

  • Visiting each data broker’s privacy policy directly (available through the "more information" links above)
  • Submitting a formal deletion request through the process they provide—usually found under sections like "Delete Your Information," "Privacy Requests," or "Consumer Privacy Rights"
  • Verifying your identity, which may require providing additional personal information
  • Waiting for a response, generally within 45 days, though brokers may request extensions or deny requests for certain reasons allowed by law

This is why Privacy Rights Clearinghouse co-sponsored California’s groundbreaking DELETE Act in 2023. Starting in 2026, Californians will have a significantly easier option: submitting automated deletion requests simultaneously to every single registered data broker through California’s official Deletion and Request Opt-Out Portal (DROP), completely free of charge.

In the meantime, you can attempt to use our database as a tool to reclaim control over your data, broker by broker. You may also consider using an authorized agent service to help you submit opt-out requests.

 

Frequently Asked Questions