What is a data broker? The companies that buy and sell you.
Data brokers explained: how companies collect, package and sell personal data in the background, why you rarely see them, and what you can do.
The simple answer
A data broker is a company that collects personal data, often from many sources, and packages or sells it to others for marketing, scoring or analytics. You usually never interact with them directly.
That invisibility is the problem. Your details can be combined and traded by businesses you have never heard of, which makes it hard to know who holds data about you or why.
What to check
If this is unclear, treat it as a signal to ask the company for a plain-English explanation.
If this is unclear, treat it as a signal to ask the company for a plain-English explanation.
If this is unclear, treat it as a signal to ask the company for a plain-English explanation.
If this is unclear, treat it as a signal to ask the company for a plain-English explanation.
Some firms trade you in the dark.
State of Privacy maps where data flows because brokers sit in the background, combining and trading details with little visibility to the people involved.
What to do next
Keep it practical: take one action, save proof, and avoid giving more data than the task needs.
Keep it practical: take one action, save proof, and avoid giving more data than the task needs.
Keep it practical: take one action, save proof, and avoid giving more data than the task needs.
People also ask
What does a data broker do?
It collects personal data from many sources and packages or sells it for marketing, scoring or analytics.
Do I deal with data brokers directly?
Usually not. They often work in the background, which is why most people never notice them.
Can I stop my data being sold?
You can ask companies not to share or sell it and use access and deletion rights, though brokers can be hard to reach.
How many trackers run on your pages? Does your privacy policy name them? Can you answer a data-rights email? If you don't know, we can help you find out.
Talk to Meridian Bridge Strategy →Your personal data belongs to you. Under DPDP, every company must tell you what they have and delete it if you ask. One email is all it takes.
Get the template email →We investigated 107 Indian company websites. The public report shows what we found.