Montana residents have some of the strongest data privacy protections in the country. The Montana Consumer Data Privacy Act gives you the right to opt out of data sales, targeted advertising, and profiling, and Montana became the first state in 2025 to ban law enforcement from purchasing your data without a warrant. Here is how to use these laws to remove your personal information from data brokers and take back control of your privacy.
The Montana Consumer Data Privacy Act: What You Need to Know
The Montana Consumer Data Privacy Act (MCDPA) was signed into law as SB 384 in 2023 and took effect on October 1, 2024. It was significantly strengthened by SB 297, signed on May 8, 2025, which expanded its protections and lowered the thresholds for which businesses are covered.
Under the MCDPA, a data broker is a business that collects, processes, or sells the personal data of consumers with whom it does not have a direct relationship. This covers the people search sites, data aggregators, and background check companies that profit from your name, address, phone number, and other personal details without your knowledge or consent.
Your Rights Under the MCDPA
As a Montana resident, you have the right to:
- Know what personal data a business has collected about you
- Correct inaccuracies in your personal data
- Delete your personal data
- Obtain a portable copy of your data in a usable format
- Opt out of the sale of your personal data
- Opt out of targeted advertising
- Opt out of profiling that produces legal or similarly significant effects
Businesses must respond to your requests within 45 days. If they deny your request, you can appeal, and if the appeal is denied, you can file a complaint with the Montana Attorney General.
2025 Amendments Strengthened the Law
SB 297, effective October 1, 2025, lowered the applicability threshold from 50,000 to 25,000 consumers, or just 15,000 consumers if 25% or more of a business's revenue comes from data sales. This means more data brokers are now covered by the law. The amendment also added protections for minors and eliminated the 60-day cure period, allowing the Attorney General to enforce violations without advance notice starting April 1, 2026.
Montana's Data Broker Registration Law
Montana has required data brokers to register with the state since 2019, making it one of the earliest states to impose transparency obligations on the data broker industry. Registered brokers must provide accessible opt-out mechanisms so consumers can request removal of their information. This registration requirement means that data brokers operating in Montana are already on notice that they must offer you a way to opt out.
If a data broker does not provide a clear opt-out process, it may be in violation of Montana law, and you should report it to the Attorney General's office.
Step 1: Enable Global Privacy Control in Your Browser
Since January 1, 2025, all businesses covered by the MCDPA must recognize Universal Opt-Out Mechanisms, including Global Privacy Control (GPC). When enabled, GPC sends an automatic signal to every website you visit instructing it not to sell or share your personal data. This is the fastest and most efficient first step you can take.
How to Enable GPC
GPC is built into several privacy-focused browsers and extensions:
- Firefox: Go to Settings, then Privacy and Security, and enable "Tell websites not to sell or share my data."
- Brave: GPC is enabled by default. Verify under Settings, then Shields, then Global Privacy Control.
- DuckDuckGo Browser: GPC is enabled by default on both desktop and mobile versions.
- Browser Extensions: If you use Chrome, Safari, or Edge, install the Privacy Badger or DuckDuckGo Privacy Essentials extension, both of which support GPC.
Under Montana law, covered businesses must treat this browser signal the same as a manual opt-out request. Enable GPC on every browser and device you use.
GPC Does Not Reach All Brokers
Global Privacy Control only works when you visit a website directly. It does not reach data brokers that already hold your information but whose sites you have never visited. For those brokers, you need to submit individual opt-out requests.
Step 2: Find Out Which Brokers Have Your Data
Search for yourself on Google and on the major people search sites to identify which data brokers have your information. Use your full name, city, state, and phone number as search terms. Common data brokers that list Montana residents include:
- Spokeo
- Whitepages
- BeenVerified
- Intelius
- TruePeopleSearch
- PeopleFinders
- Radaris
- FastPeopleSearch
- Nuwber
- MyLife
Keep a list of every site where your personal information appears. You will need to submit a separate opt-out request to each one.
Step 3: Submit Individual Opt-Out Requests
Each data broker has its own removal process. The general steps are similar across most sites:
- Find the opt-out page. Look for a "Do Not Sell My Personal Information" link, a privacy policy page, or a dedicated opt-out form, usually in the website footer.
- Locate your profile. Search for yourself on the broker's site and copy the URL of your listing.
- Submit the removal request. Fill out the opt-out form with your identifying information and the profile URL.
- Verify your identity. Most brokers require email or phone verification before they process the request.
- Wait for processing. Removal times range from 24 hours to 30 days depending on the broker.
- Follow up. Check back after the stated processing period to confirm your listing was actually removed.
When submitting your request, explicitly reference the Montana Consumer Data Privacy Act. State that you are a Montana resident exercising your right to opt out of the sale of your personal data under the MCDPA. This puts the business on legal notice and triggers the 45-day response deadline.
Step 4: File a Complaint If a Broker Ignores You
The MCDPA is enforced exclusively by the Montana Attorney General. There is no private right of action, meaning you cannot sue a data broker directly for violating the law. However, the AG's office uses consumer complaints to identify noncompliant businesses and take enforcement action.
If a data broker fails to respond within 45 days, denies your request without a valid reason, or does not provide a functioning opt-out mechanism, file a complaint through the Montana Department of Justice Office of Consumer Protection at dojmt.gov/office-of-consumer-protection/montana-consumer-data-privacy/. Include your original request, any responses you received, and all relevant dates.
No More Free Passes for Brokers
Under the 2025 amendments, the 60-day cure period that previously gave businesses a grace period to fix violations is being eliminated. Starting April 1, 2026, the Attorney General can take enforcement action immediately without first giving the business a chance to correct its behavior. This makes it even more important for data brokers to comply with opt-out requests promptly.
Montana's Law Enforcement Data Purchase Ban
In May 2025, Montana became the first state in the nation to pass SB 282, which bans law enforcement agencies from purchasing personal data from data brokers without a warrant. This landmark law closes the loophole that allowed police departments to bypass Fourth Amendment protections by simply buying location data, browsing history, and other sensitive information on the open market. While this does not directly affect your opt-out process, it adds another layer of protection for Montana residents.
The Scale of the Problem
There are well over 100 data broker sites that may hold your personal information. Each one has its own opt-out form, verification process, and processing timeline. A single round of manual opt-outs can take 20 to 40 hours of focused effort. And because data brokers continuously scrape public records and purchase new data from third-party sources, your information can reappear on the same site within weeks of a successful removal.
Your Data Reappears Constantly
Opting out once is not enough. Data brokers re-collect and re-list personal information on an ongoing basis. Without continuous monitoring and repeated removal requests, your data will resurface across multiple broker sites within a matter of weeks.
Let PrivacyOn Handle the Work
PrivacyOn automates data broker removal across more than 100 sites, including all the major brokers that list Montana residents. We submit opt-out requests on your behalf, continuously monitor for re-listings, and automatically re-submit removal requests whenever your information reappears. Our service also includes dark web monitoring to alert you if your personal data surfaces in places no opt-out form can reach.
Montana's privacy laws give you real, enforceable rights, but exercising them across the entire data broker ecosystem is a full-time job. PrivacyOn handles that job for you so you can enjoy the privacy the MCDPA was designed to provide. Family plans cover up to five people, keeping your entire household protected under one subscription.
Between Global Privacy Control, individual opt-out requests, Montana's strong legal framework, and PrivacyOn's automated removal service, Montana residents have every tool they need to take their personal data back from the brokers who profit from it.