Data Brokers and AI Firms Design Opt-Out Forms to Fail, Study Shows
Original: Data Brokers’ and AI Firms’ Opt-Out Forms Are Built to Fail, Report Finds
Why This Matters
Highlights systematic evasion of consumer privacy rights by major tech firms
Electronic Privacy Information Center study finds 38 major data companies including Google, Meta, and OpenAI use deceptive design to prevent users from opting out of data sales, with some forms offering no actual opt-out capability.
EPIC researchers documented eight categories of manipulative design in opt-out processes across major AI companies, data brokers, and other firms. Google, Meta, and OpenAI fail to clearly link opt-out forms from homepages and require multiple separate submissions. OpenAI's form doesn't allow opting out of data sales but only offers to 'remove personal information from ChatGPT responses.' People-search brokers Spokeo, Whitepages, and National Public Data provide no opt-out mechanism for data sales, only individual listing removal with no guarantee against future reappearance. Spokeo explicitly tells users information 'may reappear without notice.' EPIC connects these failures to safety concerns, citing the 2025 case where Vance Boelter allegedly used data broker information to locate and murder Minnesota state representative Melissa Hortman and her husband.