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What is a data broker?
Updated 9 November 2026
A data broker is a company that collects personal data about people and sells or rents it to other companies. You usually never deal with them directly, which is why most people don't know they exist. In Europe the main ones are sales databases, ad data companies, address traders and credit bureaus.
We do this for you. You don't have to do anything.
- Autopilot sends the request to every company we find, plus dozens of other data brokers that likely hold your data.
- We send the reminders, handle the replies and keep track of the one-month deadline.
- We rescan you every week. If your data comes back, we send a new request.
- All you do is enter your name, confirm your email and give us permission. Free during the beta.
What they know about you
Depending on the type: your name, work and personal email, phone number, home address, employer and job title, age range, household, interests and buying habits, and sometimes location history. They combine scraps from many places into one profile.
Where they get it
- Public sources such as LinkedIn, company websites, social media and registers.
- Apps and websites that share data with "partners" through cookies and tracking.
- Loyalty cards, competitions and sign-up forms.
- Other brokers, which buy and swap lists with each other.
Why it matters
Broker data feeds spam, cold calls and targeted scams. With AI, a scammer can turn a broker profile into a convincing phishing email or a voice-clone call in seconds.
How to get your data deleted
Under GDPR you can ask any broker what it holds (Article 15), have it deleted (Article 17) and object to marketing (Article 21). See the full list in our data broker index. Autopilot sends these requests for you and keeps checking.
Questions
Are data brokers legal in Europe?
Yes, if they have a legal basis under GDPR, which many claim as "legitimate interest". But you can always object and ask them to delete your data.
How many data brokers have my data?
Nobody can say exactly without asking each one. Most working adults in Europe appear in at least several sales and ad databases. Our data broker index lists the companies we contact.
More numbers on data brokers, breaches and scams: privacy statistics 2026.