Cybersecurity Policy Report, Data Brokers Made Opt-Outs Easier After Inquiries, Sen. Hassan Says, (Mar 2, 2026)
Organizations Mentioned:6sense Insights, Inc. | Comscore Networks, Inc. | Equifax | Joint Economic Committee | TeleSign | TransUnion Corp.
Four data brokers made it easier for people to opt out of data collection following requests from Sen. Maggie Hassan (D., N.H.), according to a report published Friday that estimated that recent data broker breaches cost U.S. consumers $20.9 billion.
Sen. Hassan, ranking member of the bicameral Joint Economic Committee, wrote to five data brokers last year after Wired magazine reported that the brokers were hiding web pages where consumers could submit opt-out requests (CPR, Aug. 14, 2025).
Four of the five brokers made their opt-out request pages more visible by removing “no index” coding that hides the pages from search engine results, Sen. Hassan noted in a report prepared by the committee’s minority staff titled “Opt-Out Obstacles: Concerning Practices by Registered Data Brokers and the Multi-Billion-Dollar Cost of Breaches.”
“Following Ranking Member Hassan’s requests, most companies took action to make their opt-out and other privacy pages more visible for individuals, including by removing ‘no index’ codes, adding opt-out links in more prominent locations, and publishing blog content that explains how consumers can exercise their privacy rights. Ranking Member Hassan welcomes these actions as supporting greater protection for consumers against scams and other harms,” the report notes.
The brokers that complied with Sen. Hassan’s request included IQVIA Digital, Inc., Comscore, Inc., Telesign, and 6sense Insights, Inc. The one that didn’t was Findem, Inc., the report says.
“Findem did not respond to the Ranking Member’s initial request or repeated written follow-up from Committee staff, raising concerns about its responsiveness to opt-out requests and commitment to data privacy,” it says. Findem didn’t respond to a request for comment.
The report also examined four data breaches—at Equifax, Inc., in 2017, Exactis LLC in 2018, National Public Data in 2023, and TransUnion in 2025—and calculated that the breaches cost U.S. consumers $20.9 billion.
“The Committee’s findings underscore the need for clear, easy access to opt-out options and more rigorous oversight within the data broker industry. Especially given the Committee’s calculation that U.S. residents have lost more than $20 billion in recent data breaches, additional action is needed to protect Americans from scams connected to data brokers,” the report says.
“At a minimum, opt-out options should be easy to locate and use. Data brokers could also improve privacy outcomes by auditing the success rates of opt-out requests, including how frequently they are approved or denied and why,” it says.
“As the volume of information that data brokers collect on individuals continues to grow—and as U.S. losses to scams escalate—data brokers, the Administration, and Congress can all play a key role in addressing scam risks stemming from data broker practices,” it adds.
“This report shows the scope of the threat that people face from data broker breaches and underscores the importance of protecting Americans’ private data,” Sen. Hassan said in a news release. “It is encouraging that after we launched our investigation, many companies took steps to improve opt-out options for Americans, which in turn can help more consumers keep their information out of the wrong hands.”
News: FederalLegislation DataBreach DataPrivacy DataSecurity