Data Broker Opt-Out Guide for Junk Mail

What is a data broker, and how does it fill my mailbox?

A data broker collects information about people and sells or rents it to others. California's definition is “a business that gathers and sells consumer information that the consumer didn't give them directly.” The ones that matter for junk mail compile names and addresses into marketing lists and rent them to companies looking for new customers.

Some of that data comes from the mail itself. Catalogs, retailers and charities pool their customer files in cooperative databases, and Catalog Choice notes that “many catalog merchants share lists of personal information with other merchants.” The industry calls the result prospect mail: offers from companies you have never bought from or given to. That is the part of your junk mail a broker opt-out can shrink.

How do I opt out of the major data brokers?

Contact each company yourself. Epsilon, Experian and LexisNexis each say their opt-out covers only their own data, so no single request reaches the others. Use your name and address exactly as they appear on your junk mail, and add any variations (a middle initial, a former last name) where a form allows.

Hundreds of other companies are registered as data brokers. Privacy Rights Clearinghouse, a privacy nonprofit, keeps a free searchable database of them with links to each company's privacy policy, and California publishes its own data broker registry.

Can I opt out of every data broker at once?

Only in California. Since January 1, 2026, California residents can use DROP (the Delete Request and Opt-out Platform), a free state tool that sends one deletion request to every data broker registered in California, more than 600 of them.

Starting August 1, 2026, brokers must check DROP at least every 45 days, delete what matches and keep deleting new matches, so it is not a one-time purge. Only your name, date of birth and ZIP Code are required, and the state says your status can take up to 90 days to update.

DROP has limits. It doesn't reach information you gave a company directly, public records, or credit report data covered by the Fair Credit Reporting Act, so prescreened credit offers still need OptOutPrescreen. Everyone outside California has to contact brokers one at a time, as above.

How long do data broker opt-outs take, and how long do they last?

Expect weeks to months before the mail thins out. How long an opt-out lasts depends on the company, and several don't say.

Source: each company's own opt-out page, the ANA's DMAchoice site and the California Privacy Protection Agency, checked October 2026.

Acxiom notes that an opt-out doesn't reach data already provided to marketers, and mailings already in production keep arriving. Brokers also keep collecting, so repeat the requests that have no stated end date once a year.

What will a data broker opt-out stop?

Prospect mail: offers from companies that got your name from a list. It won't stop mail from companies you already deal with, and it can't touch mail sent to every address on a route.

Source: DMAchoice FAQ (customer and donor mail is not covered), Wiland and LexisNexis opt-out pages, Valpak and Save removal pages.

What happened to the Oracle and Abacus opt-outs?

You can skip both. Older guides, including earlier versions of this page, told readers to opt out of Oracle Data Cloud. Oracle closed its advertising business on September 30, 2024, ending every advertising product, its Offline Targeting/Direct Mail and Data Append services among them, along with its relationships with data providers. There is no Oracle marketing data business left to opt out of.

The same guides list a separate opt-out for Abacus, a catalog cooperative database, at an Epsilon address. Epsilon's current U.S. privacy pages don't mention Abacus, and the only Abacus opt-out we found on Epsilon's site is for the UK. The Epsilon request in step 2 is the one it offers today.

Should I pay a data removal service?

Only if your time is worth more than the fee. These services file the same kinds of requests for you on a subscription and repeat them. Prices on their own sites in October 2026 ran from $19.99 a year for EasyOptOuts, which rescans every four months and lists Acxiom among the 200-plus brokers and people-search sites it covers, to $95.88 a year for Incogni's standard annual plan, which covers 420-plus brokers. DeleteMe and other services list prices by plan on their own websites.

Before you pay, check the service's coverage list for the marketing companies in this guide, because coverage varies. No removal service can stop EDDM.

Which other opt-outs should I pair with this?

• OptOutPrescreen (free) stops prescreened credit card and insurance offers for five years, or permanently with a signed form. Equifax, Experian, Innovis and TransUnion run it.
• DMAchoice ($8 online or $9 by mail, for ten years) cuts catalogs, magazine offers and donation requests from companies you haven't dealt with in the past two years. The Association of National Advertisers, which runs it, expects about 80% fewer.
• Catalog Choice (free) cancels specific catalogs, one sender at a time.
• Mail for someone who has died has its own fixes, starting with DMAchoice's Deceased Do Not Contact list.

Our full guide to stopping junk mail puts every opt-out in order.