Your Privacy Rights: A Plain-English Guide to State Privacy Laws

The U.S. still has no single federal privacy law, but many states have passed their own. California led the way, and several other states have since adopted similar consumer privacy laws.

Common rights these laws provide

The right to know what personal data a company holds about you, the right to request deletion, the right to opt out of the sale of your data, and the right to correct inaccurate information. Exact rights vary by state.

Data broker registries

Some states require data brokers to register publicly, and some are building tools that let residents request deletion from many brokers at once.

What this means for you

Even where laws exist, you usually have to make the request yourself. A removal service can send these requests for you and keep following up. Laws change frequently, so check your state's official resources for the latest details.