An investigation by The Markup and CalMatters found that 35 data brokers in California were hiding how consumers could delete their personal data online by placing "no-index" code on web pages. This made it harder for Californians to exercise their legal right to delete their data. After the investigation, multiple companies stopped this practice: 12 of the original 35 data brokers removed the "no-index" code and allowed their deletion pages to appear in search results. Today, eight data brokers are still hiding their deletion pages, including five major ones who were questioned by a Senate committee.
Written by the local model on 2026-08-25,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Why this leaning score
The model judged this article politically coded and scored it +0.35, but every quote it verified points left, so the score is not published.
Written under an earlier scoring contract, which gave a paragraph
rather than checkable quotes. Re-analysing this article replaces it.
Leaning score withheld for article 2373: score contradicts its own evidence · logged 2026-08-27
The Markup, now a part of CalMatters, uses investigative reporting, data analysis, and software engineering to challenge technology to serve the public good.
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Markup → use → good
Sign up for Klaxon, a newsletter that delivers our stories and tools directly to your inbox.
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that → sign → inbox
More data brokers have changed their practices in response to reporting from The Markup and CalMatters as well as a subsequent Senate investigation.
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brokers → change → Markup
Data brokers — companies that collect and sell access to often-sensitive information on consumers — are required to register in the state of California and provide a way for consumers to request their data be deleted.
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data → collect → way
We caught companies making it harder to delete your personal data online
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it → catch → data
Dozens of companies are hiding how you can delete your personal data, The Markup and CalMatters found.
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Markup → hide → data
After our reporters reached out for comment, multiple companies have stopped the practice.
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companies → reach → practice
Last year, an investigation by The Markup and CalMatters, published in collaboration with WIRED, showed that many of those companies placed code on the web pages for making those requests that prevented them from appearing in search results.
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that → publish → results
The “no-index” code tells search engines like Google not to catalog those pages, making it less likely that anyone would see them.
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anyone → tell → them
Experts said that’s a hurdle for Californians looking to exercise their legal rights.
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that → say → rights
Last year’s investigation found 35 data brokers were using the code, 12 of whom soon removed it and allowed their pages to appear in search results.
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pages → find → results
Today, only eight of those 35 brokers are still hiding their deletion pages, according to another review done by The Markup and CalMatters this week.
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eight → hide → Markup
That includes five major data brokers who came under Senate investigation.
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who → include → investigation
After The Markup and CalMatters published their report, the top Democrat on the Senate Joint Economic Committee minority, New Hampshire Democratic Sen. Maggie Hassan, sent letters to five data brokers questioning them about their practices.
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Democrat → publish → practices
Four of the companies — IQVIA Digital, Comscore, Telesign Corporation and 6sense Insights — engaged with the Senate committee about their practices and agreed to make their pages visible in search, according to a report the committee later released.
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committee → engage → report
The report also estimated that consumers have lost more than $20 billion from fraud and identity theft related to broker data breaches.
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consumers → estimate → breaches
In an addendum to their initial findings released last week, the committee said that the fifth company facing questioning, Findem, also belatedly removed its “no-index” code, making its deletion pages visible in search engines.
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pages → release → engines
One of the data brokers no longer hiding its opt-out page, BrightCheck, has a broken opt-out page and no longer appears on California’s broker registry.
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One → hide → registry
Of the eight brokers still hiding their deletion pages, only one, a company called Fideo, responded to a request for comment about whether they would continue using the code on their pages.
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they → hide → pages
Jason Soni, a spokesperson for Fideo, which uses data for crime and fraud prevention purposes, said the company intentionally “chose not to display the application page itself in Google search results for technical and consumer experience reasons.”
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company → use → reasons
Consumers, he said, can make requests starting “from our homepage and public privacy resources, which provide the right context, routing, and instructions for privacy requests,” instead of starting at the application page.
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which → say → page
“Americans deserve a choice over whether their personal data is collected, used, and sold for profit or not,” Hassan said in a statement released alongside the amended report.
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Hassan → deserve → report
“Data brokers like Findem have a responsibility to provide that choice with clear, user-friendly opt-out functions and straightforward privacy policies.
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brokers → have → functions
