LEARN THE GROUND

Guides

20 short, plain guides to how data brokers work and what you can actually demand. Not legal advice — primary sources are linked in each.

• 
  How data brokers get your information

  The pipeline that turns everyday records into a for-sale profile — and why you have to opt out in so many places.

• 
  Your opt-out rights: CCPA/CPRA vs GDPR, in plain terms

  What you can actually demand, depending on where you live — and how a data broker has to respond.

• 
  A reusable opt-out request letter

  A short, firm template you can send when a broker has no online form — or ignores the one it has.

• 
  People-search sites 101: the highest-priority removals

  Why the free 'find anyone' sites are the ones to remove first — and how they quietly rebuild your listing.

• 
  Making removals stick: a simple re-check routine

  Opt-outs aren't permanent. A light quarterly routine keeps your profiles from quietly coming back.

• 
  Moving house without re-exposing your data

  A change of address is the biggest single trigger for new broker listings. Here's how to limit the spread.

• Freeze your credit at all three bureaus

  A security freeze is free, reversible, and the single strongest step against new-account fraud. Here's how to place one at Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion.

• Stop pre-approved credit and insurance offers

  Those 'you're pre-approved' envelopes come from credit bureaus selling your info. One official site opts you out for five years — or permanently.

• Cut down marketing mail

  Marketing mail is fueled by broker lists. DMAchoice and a couple of official opt-outs meaningfully reduce it.

• The Do Not Call Registry and spam calls

  Register your number, know what the registry does and doesn't stop, and how brokers feed robocallers.

• Reduce spam and marketing email

  Unsubscribe correctly, use filters, and understand how your address ends up on broker lists.

• California's DELETE Act, in plain terms

  The law behind this registry — and the coming one-stop deletion mechanism that will let you opt out of every registered broker at once.

• What to do after a data breach

  A calm, ordered checklist for when your data is exposed — from the FTC's own recovery guidance.

• Remove your personal info from Google results

  Google's own 'Results about you' tool finds and requests removal of pages exposing your contact details.

• Your opt-out rights beyond California

  A fast-growing patchwork of US state privacy laws now gives many residents the right to opt out of data sales. Where to check yours.

• Protecting children's data

  COPPA limits how online services collect kids' data — what it covers, and how it interacts with brokers.

• Health data and the limits of HIPAA

  HIPAA protects records held by doctors and insurers — but not the health-adjacent data brokers buy and sell. Know the gap.

• Check your credit reports for free

  Your credit report is where identity misuse first shows up. The official free-report site, and how often to look.

• Reputable privacy resources worth knowing

  A short, vetted shelf of independent privacy references — no products we're paid to push.

• Protecting your home address from exposure

  People-search sites and brokers are where doxxing starts. A focused routine to get your address down.