Who do data brokers sell or share personal data with?
55 registered data brokers sold or shared people's data with the federal government in the year before registering, and 32 with developers of generative AI systems or models.
The federal government55 9.1%55 of 603 registered data brokers (9.1%)
Other state governments54 9%54 of 603 registered data brokers (9%)
Generative AI developers32 5.3%32 of 603 registered data brokers (5.3%)
Law enforcement28 4.6%28 of 603 registered data brokers (4.6%)
Foreign actors26 4.3%26 of 603 registered data brokers (4.3%)
Chart: DeepSearch, CC BY 4.0. Data: California Privacy Protection Agency, registry file published July 29, 2026.
Key findings
95 of the 603 brokers (16%) report at least one of these five kinds of buyer.
64 sold or shared data with at least one government body or law enforcement agency.
26 sold or shared data with a foreign actor.
The data
Who do data brokers sell or share personal data with?
Category
Brokers
Share
The federal government
55
9.1%
Other state governments
54
9%
Generative AI developers
32
5.3%
Law enforcement
28
4.6%
Foreign actors
26
4.3%
Shares are of 603 registered data brokers.
How we made this chart
Data brokers that operated in California in 2025 had to register with the California Privacy Protection Agency (CalPrivacy) in 2026. The registration form asks each one the same questions, and CalPrivacy publishes every answer.
Since 2026 the form asks whether the broker sold or shared consumers' data with each of these five kinds of recipient in the past year. We counted the registrations that answered yes.
Limits to keep in mind:
The law enforcement question excludes data handed over because of a subpoena or court order.
Every figure is self-reported by the broker on its registration. CalPrivacy publishes the answers as filed, and DeepSearch has not audited them.
Affiliated companies often register separately, so one corporate group can appear several times.
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<p>Chart: <a href="https://deepsearch.app/data/data-brokers-data-buyers">DeepSearch</a>. Source: 2026 California Data Broker Registry.</p>
Image
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<a href="https://deepsearch.app/data/data-brokers-data-buyers"><img src="https://deepsearch.app/data/data-brokers-data-buyers/chart.png" alt="Who do data brokers sell or share personal data with? 55 registered data brokers sold or shared people's data with the federal government in the year before registering, and 32 with developers of generative AI systems or models." width="1200" height="675" style="max-width:100%;height:auto" loading="lazy"></a>
<figcaption>Chart: <a href="https://deepsearch.app/data/data-brokers-data-buyers">DeepSearch</a>. Source: 2026 California Data Broker Registry.</figcaption>
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Cite this chart
DeepSearch. (October 15, 2026). Who do data brokers sell or share personal data with? DeepSearch Data. https://deepsearch.app/data/data-brokers-data-buyers
115 of the 603 registered data brokers (19%) say they collect people's precise geolocation, the most common of the ten sensitive categories the registry asks about.