Senator Maggie Hassan is investigating data brokers for obscuring opt-out information, making it difficult for consumers to control their personal data. An investigation revealed at least 35 firms, including major names like IQVIA Digital and Comscore, use tactics to hide deletion tools from search results. California law mandates accessible deletion options, yet many brokers have employed designs that could be deemed illegal dark patterns, which undermine privacy rights. Hassan demands accountability from these firms concerning their practices and plans to improve user access.
Data brokers and other online providers have a responsibility to prevent the misuse of consumer data, and Americans deserve to understand if and how their personal information is being used.
The investigation found dozens of registered brokers obscuring their opt-out tools by hiding them from Google and other search results.
Consumer advocates called it a "clever work-around" that undermines privacy rights and may qualify as an illegal dark pattern.
Hassan wants the firms to justify the placement of their opt-out pages, acknowledge whether they used code to block search indexing, and provide Congress with recent audit results.
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