Did you know there are companies out there right now, buying and selling information about you — your address, your age, your family members, even your shopping habits — without ever asking your permission? They're called data brokers, and most people have never heard of them. The good news is that you have more power to push back than you might think, and it doesn't cost a thing.
Who Are These Companies, Anyway?
A data broker is a business that collects information about people and then sells it to others. Unlike your bank or your doctor's office, you've probably never done business with these companies directly. Instead, they gather bits and pieces about you from many different places, bundle it all together, and sell it — often to marketers, insurance companies, lenders, and background-check websites.
You may have heard some of their names before: Acxiom, Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion are some of the big ones. There are also "people search" websites like Whitepages, Spokeo, and BeenVerified, which let anyone type in your name and pull up your address, relatives, and more.
Think of data brokers as middlemen. They don't create anything — they just collect your information and sell it, over and over again, to whoever will pay.
What Exactly Do They Know?
More than you'd expect. Data brokers try to build a detailed picture of your life, sometimes with thousands of individual facts about a single person. This can include:
- The basics — your full name, age, current and past addresses, phone numbers, and email
- Financial details — your approximate income, whether you own your home, and even past bankruptcies
- Health and lifestyle hints — your interests, what you buy, and whether you enjoy gambling or donate to charities
- Your online habits — which websites you visit and your rough location based on your phone or internet use
- Your family circle — who lives with you, your marital status, and your relatives' names
They gather all this from public records, store loyalty cards, online shopping, surveys you've filled out, and the cookies that track you around the internet.
Why This Matters More for Seniors
This isn't just an abstract privacy concern — it has real consequences, and older adults are often targeted more deliberately than other age groups:
- Targeted scams. Scammers can buy lists of seniors who've shown interest in investments, health products, or charitable giving, then craft phone calls and letters that feel personal and convincing.
- A flood of junk mail and robocalls. The more of your data that's out there, the more "special offers" and unwanted calls tend to follow.
- Unfair pricing. Insurers and lenders sometimes use this kind of data to quietly charge certain people more.
- A loss of peace of mind. It's unsettling to realize that a stranger could know your address, your relatives' names, and your recent moves with just a few clicks.
The reassuring part is this: you don't need to be a tech expert to fight back. And it helps enormously to team up with an adult child, grandchild, or trusted friend — one person can read information aloud while the other handles the typing.
Five Free Steps You Can Take Today
1. Remove Yourself from "People Search" Sites First
These sites do the most visible damage, since anyone can search your name and see your address and relatives. Start with the biggest ones: Whitepages, Spokeo, BeenVerified, TruthFinder, Intelius, PeopleFinders, and MyLife.
The pattern is usually the same on each site: 1. Search your own name and city to find your listing. 2. Scroll to the bottom of the page for a link labeled "Opt Out," "Remove My Listing," or "Privacy." 3. Follow the prompts — you may need to confirm by email or text. 4. Wait a few days to a few weeks for the listing to disappear.
2. Use Any Government Tools Available to You
Some places have laws that let you make one request instead of dozens. California residents, for example, can use a free state-run tool called DROP (Delete Request and Opt-out Platform), which sends a single removal request to hundreds of brokers at once. If you live elsewhere, check your state, provincial, or national privacy regulator's website — search for "data broker opt out" to see what's available where you live.
3. Ask the Big Data Brokers Directly to Stop
Major companies like Acxiom, Experian, Equifax, TransUnion, and CoreLogic have privacy pages where you can ask them to stop selling your information or request that they delete it. You'll need to provide your name and address to prove it's really you — which feels backwards, but it's a normal part of the process. Just be sure you're on the company's official website, never a link from an email you weren't expecting.
4. Slow Down the New Data They Collect
Opting out is like bailing water out of a leaky boat — it also helps to slow the leaks:
- Only use store loyalty cards when the discount is really worth it
- Skip "optional" fields on forms and contests, like your income or exact birthday
- Turn off location sharing in your phone and social media apps
- Turn on your browser's tracking protection and clear your cookies regularly
If a grandchild or younger family member is willing, sit down together once or twice a year and go through your phone and tablet settings.
5. Protect Yourself from Scams Along the Way
Even with all this cleanup, some information will still be out there, so it helps to build a few habits:
- Be suspicious of unexpected calls or emails, especially ones that already seem to know personal details about you. Hang up and call back using a number you look up yourself.
- Shred any mail or documents that show your address, account numbers, or health information.
- Check your bank and credit card statements every month for anything unusual.
- If you're worried your information has been misused, look into placing a free fraud alert or credit freeze with your credit bureau.
Making It Manageable
You don't have to do this all in one sitting — and honestly, you shouldn't try to. Here's a friendly way to break it down:
- Tackle one or two websites per evening, or set aside a 30-minute "privacy hour" once a week
- Work as a team: one person types while the other reads instructions aloud and keeps a checklist
- Keep a simple written log of which sites you've requested removal from and when, so you can follow up later
A simple three-step starting plan for a parent and adult child to tackle together: 1. Remove listings from the biggest people-search sites 2. Submit any government "do not sell" or "delete my data" requests available in your area 3. Sit down together and review phone and browser privacy settings
Your privacy is worth protecting, and every request you submit chips away at what these companies can sell about you. You won't erase yourself from the internet completely — but you can take back a meaningful amount of control, for free, a little at a time.