Companies That Buy and Sell Your Personal Data in 2026

The largest companies buying and selling your personal data in 2026 are LiveRamp (formerly Acxiom), Epsilon, Experian Marketing Services, Data Axle, LexisNexis, Equifax, TransUnion, and CoreLogic — plus hundreds of downstream people-search sites like Spokeo, BeenVerified, and Intelius. Together they profile virtually every U.S. adult. Every one has an opt-out, and PrivacyOn handles the highest-impact ones for you automatically.

The Three Tiers of the Data Economy

Companies that buy and sell your personal information fall into three distinct categories. Each collects differently, sells differently, and requires a different removal path:

• Tier 1 — Marketing data brokers. Massive B2B databases used by advertisers and marketers to target you. You never interact with these companies directly.
• Tier 2 — Risk and verification brokers. Used by insurers, lenders, landlords, and background-check firms. Their files can affect real financial decisions.
• Tier 3 — People-search sites. The consumer-facing tip of the iceberg — Spokeo, BeenVerified, Whitepages, and 100+ others. They resell data sourced from Tiers 1 and 2 plus public records.

Tier 1: The Largest Marketing Data Brokers of 2026

LiveRamp (formerly Acxiom)

LiveRamp — the company Acxiom became — maintains profiles on 2.5 billion consumers worldwide, categorized by income, purchase behavior, political leanings, and lifestyle attributes. In May 2026, Publicis Groupe agreed to acquire LiveRamp for approximately $2.2 billion, expected to close by year-end 2026. The acquisition folds the world's biggest identity graph into one of the world's biggest ad-agency networks.

• Opt-out URL: liveramp.com/opt_out
• What they hold: Name, address, email, phone, demographics, purchase behavior, device IDs.

Epsilon (Publicis)

Epsilon processes over 40 billion marketing transactions per year and maintains one of the largest consumer databases in the world, built from loyalty programs, direct-mail campaigns, and licensed feeds. Already inside Publicis since 2019, Epsilon is a sibling of the incoming LiveRamp.

• Opt-out URL: epsilon.com/us/consumer-information
• What they hold: Purchase history, mailing address, email, demographics, propensity models.

Experian Marketing Services

Separate from the Experian credit bureau but under the same corporate parent, Experian Marketing Services sells consumer segments and audience data for advertising.

• Opt-out URL: experian.com/privacy/opting_out
• What they hold: Household composition, income, address, demographic segments.

Data Axle

Data Axle (formerly Infogroup) sells consumer and business data used for lead generation, direct marketing, and identity verification.

• Opt-out URL: data-axle.com/about-us/privacy/opt-out
• What they hold: Name, address, phone, email, business affiliations.

What Happened to Oracle Data Cloud

Oracle Data Cloud — for years one of the biggest programmatic advertising data brokers — was formally sunset by Oracle in 2024. The infrastructure Oracle used (BlueKai, AddThis, Datalogix) is gone, but downstream copies of the data live on inside the customers that licensed it while it was running.

Tier 2: Risk and Identity Verification Brokers

LexisNexis Risk Solutions

LexisNexis Risk Solutions (a separate business from LexisNexis legal research) sells to insurance carriers, lenders, and government agencies. Its files drive insurance quotes, mortgage decisions, and background checks.

• Opt-out URL: risk.lexisnexis.com/global/en/consumer-support
• What they hold: Address history, court records, driving records, employment history, associated persons.

Equifax

Beyond credit reporting, Equifax sells consumer data for verification, marketing, and workforce solutions — including the Work Number employment database, which stores payroll data on more than 165 million U.S. workers.

• Opt-out for The Work Number: theworknumber.com/employees

TransUnion

TransUnion runs the same three-part business as Equifax and Experian — credit, marketing, and specialty verification (rental screening, insurance claims history).

• Opt-out for pre-approved credit and insurance offers: optoutprescreen.com

CoreLogic

CoreLogic aggregates property, mortgage, and homeowner data — used by real estate, lending, and insurance.

• Opt-out URL: corelogic.com/about-us/privacy-policy

Tier 3: People-Search Sites (Where Your Info Actually Shows Up)

People-search sites are where your name, home address, phone number, and relatives become publicly Google-able. They buy from Tier 1 and Tier 2, layer on public records, and package the result into free (or freemium) search pages. The largest and most visible in 2026:

• Spokeo
• Whitepages and Whitepages Premium
• BeenVerified
• Radaris
• Intelius (TruthFinder, Instant Checkmate, US Search)
• FastPeopleSearch and TruePeopleSearch
• PeekYou
• MyLife
• FamilyTreeNow
• Nuwber
• NeighborWho, CheckPeople, and PeopleFinders

Each has its own opt-out URL, verification path, and re-listing cycle. Doing all of them manually is a 20 to 40 hour project that must be repeated every 60 to 90 days.

Where Every One of These Companies Gets Your Data

• Public records: Voter rolls, property deeds, court dockets, marriage and divorce records, professional licenses.
• Warranty and product registration cards: A big source for Tier 1 brokers.
• Loyalty programs and grocery cards: Purchase behavior sold to Epsilon and LiveRamp.
• Data breaches: Leaked datasets sold or shared on both dark web markets and mainstream broker channels.
• Credit and mortgage inquiries: Feed Tier 2 files at Experian, Equifax, TransUnion, LexisNexis.
• Social media scraping: Public LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, and X profiles.
• Mobile ad IDs and device fingerprints: Behavioral segments sold across the ad ecosystem.
• Broker-to-broker resale: Data leaks between tiers constantly. One breach or one lax vendor propagates for years.

Why Piecemeal Opt-Outs Are Not Enough

You could opt out of every company on this page — and 6 months later, half of them will have rebuilt your file from raw inputs. Broker A refreshes from public records. Broker B licenses from Broker C. A downstream customer gets breached and your info floods back into circulation. The economics of the industry are designed to re-collect faster than any individual can remove.

That is why continuous, automated protection is the only durable answer. PrivacyOn submits opt-outs to 100+ of the highest-impact brokers, monitors continuously, and re-submits every time your data reappears. It also runs 24/7 dark web monitoring so a leak from a downstream customer does not blindside you. Plans start at $8.33/month, family plans cover up to 5 people, and the free scan shows which companies currently list you.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is it legal for companies to sell my personal data?

In most U.S. states, yes. Federal law does not prohibit the sale of personal data derived from public records, commercial transactions, and licensed sources. State privacy laws — CCPA/CPRA in California, CPA in Colorado, VCDPA in Virginia, and similar laws in Connecticut, Utah, Texas, Oregon, and more — grant deletion and opt-out rights, but do not ban the underlying industry. GDPR in the EU/UK is stricter and requires an opt-in for most sales.

Who is the biggest data broker in 2026?

By profile count, LiveRamp (formerly Acxiom) is the largest, with data on 2.5 billion consumers globally. Epsilon and Experian Marketing Services are the next tier. In risk and verification, LexisNexis Risk Solutions is the biggest single vendor.

How do I opt out of every data broker at once?

There is no single legal switch that opts you out of every broker. The closest option is Global Privacy Control (GPC), a browser signal that CCPA-covered companies must honor — but it only stops new collection at CCPA scope. For actual removal of existing profiles across 100+ brokers, an automated service like PrivacyOn does the work continuously so you do not have to file 100 separate requests every quarter.

Are people-search sites the same as data brokers?

People-search sites are one visible category of data broker — Tier 3 in the framework above. They buy from bigger, less-visible brokers and republish the data on searchable web pages. Removing yourself from Spokeo, Whitepages, BeenVerified, and the rest shrinks the most public part of your footprint but does not touch the upstream marketing and risk brokers.

Can I sue a company that sold my personal data?

Sometimes, yes — but standing is narrow. California's CCPA/CPRA allows a private right of action only for breaches of unencrypted personal information, not for standard data sales. Other state laws are enforced by state attorneys general. GDPR provides broader private rights in the EU/UK. If you believe a company is selling data after you opted out, the fastest remedy is usually to file a complaint with your state attorney general.

Does PrivacyOn cover all of these companies?

PrivacyOn covers 100+ of the highest-impact brokers spanning marketing, risk, and people-search categories — the ones that most directly expose your name, address, phone, and email. The free scan shows exactly which are matching your identity today, so you can see the coverage before you subscribe. Family plans cover up to 5 people, and dark web monitoring is included.